<p>Snoop Dogg stirred up controversy when he posted a photo of his <em>Make America Crip Again</em>&nbsp;album cover on Instagram, which portrayed the dead body of President Donald Trump.</p>

<p>The since-deleted picture featured Snoop Dogg wearing a blue hat looking over a lifeless body draped in an American flag with a toe tag reading &quot;TRUMP.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>The 46-year-old rapper&#39;s publicist told Variety his album is already out with a different cover.</p>

<p>The new cover features a blue baseball cap reading, <em>Make America Crip Again</em>,&nbsp;mocking Trump&#39;s red hats with <em>Make America Great Again</em>&nbsp;campaign slogan.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">S/O to the legendary <a href="https://twitter.com/SnoopDogg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SnoopDogg</a> People don&rsquo;t realize your still the OG! Paying homage to <a href="https://twitter.com/icecube?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@icecube</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MakeAmericaCripAgain?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MakeAmericaCripAgain</a> was genius. <a href="https://t.co/7E1yNn89hE">pic.twitter.com/7E1yNn89hE</a></p>
&mdash; LUX HITTA (@LuxHitta) <a href="https://twitter.com/LuxHitta/status/926264038312603649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Not only the cover, Snoop Dogg takes aim at Trump in the title track of the album as well, rapping, &quot;The president said he wants to make America great again. F*** that s***, we gon&#39; make America crip again.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Earlier this year, Snoop Dogg drew controversy after the release of his <em>Lavender</em>&nbsp;music video in which he pulled a fake gun on a clown dressed as Trump.</p>


The since-deleted picture featured Snoop Dogg wearing a blue hat looking over a lifeless body draped in an American flag with a toe tag reading "TRUMP."

Snoop Dogg stirred up controversy when he posted a photo of his Make America Crip Again album cover on Instagram, which portrayed the dead body of President Donald Trump. The since-deleted picture featured Snoop Dogg wearing a blue hat looking over a lifeless body draped in an American flag with a toe tag reading "TRUMP." The 46-year-old rapper's publicist told Variety his album is already out with a different cover. The new cover features a blue baseball cap reading, Make America Crip Again, mocking Trump's red hats with Make America Great Again campaign slogan. S/O to the legendary @SnoopDogg People don’t realize your still the OG! Paying homage to @icecube on #MakeAmericaCripAgain was genius. pic.twitter.com/7E1yNn89hE — LUX HITTA (@LuxHitta) November 3, 2017 × Not only the cover, Snoop Dogg takes aim at Trump in the title track of the album as well, rapping, "The president said he wants to make America great again. F*** that s***, we gon' make America crip again." Earlier this year, Snoop Dogg drew controversy after the release of his Lavender music video in which he pulled a fake gun on a clown dressed as Trump.

Snoop Dogg stands over Trump's 'dead body' on new album cover, deletes photo later

<p>Under Hitler, Germany experienced the consequences of a nation caving into propaganda and hate speech. This may explain its government&rsquo;s urgency to enact a new law, known as the &ldquo;Facebook Act,&rdquo; in response to the recent alarming rise of hate speech online.</p>

<p>Canada is experiencing a similar rise.</p>

<p>Media marketing company Cision documented a six-fold rise - that&rsquo;s a 600 per cent increase - in the amount of intolerant and hate speech in social media postings by Canadians between November 2015 and November 2016. Hashtags such as #banmuslims, #siegheil, #whitegenocide and #whitepower were widely used on popular social media platforms such as Twitter.</p>

<p>Some analysts blame Trump. But Canadian media outlets shouldn&rsquo;t be too smug about their adherence to the practice of fair and balanced journalism.</p>

<p>A group of scholars at Ryerson University conducted a critical analysis of how the Canadian media covered the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Canada between September 2015 and April 2016. They found several news outlets played a major role in reinforcing the negative image of Syrian refugees and Muslims in the public eye.</p>

<p>The refugees were subject to &quot;othering,&quot; the practice of depicting nonwhite cultures as &quot;alien,&quot; and highlighting differences rather than shared values or interests. The new arrivals from Syria were stereotyped, criminalised (especially men) and perceived as passive, lacking agency, vulnerable, needy and a drain on government resources. Male Syrian refugees were viewed as security threats and female Syrian refugees as voiceless, oppressed and desperate.</p>

<p>My research study investigates the way youth view their role in society as it relates to refugees, and how they regard and interpret online propaganda.</p>

<p><strong>The $74 million question</strong></p>

<p>The European Commission recently announced a new set of guidelines and principles for online platforms to prevent content inciting hatred, violence and terrorism, and Twitter began implementing its new rules for fighting hate on Nov. 1.</p>

<p>Should Canada follow in Germany&rsquo;s footsteps and enact a law that would pressure social networks to remove offensive posts within 24 hours or risk fines of up to $74 million for failing to comply? Adopting new regulations forcing social media platforms to respond swiftly could be an effective intervention to halt the spread of hate speech online. However, it could also prove to be challenging, as moderators wade into complex language and often get it wrong. Ultimately, we need to adopt a systematic response to hateful and dangerous rhetoric online.</p>

<p>The German social media law has been the subject of criticism since it was announced. Some critics say the law is too broad while others warn it could be the executioner of free speech. The thin line between hate speech and free speech is the focus of many concerned Canadians.</p>

<p>In Canada, hate speech is addressed in the recently updated Criminal Code (R.S.C., 1985, c. C-46). However, the applicability of this law to online hate speech is a frequent subject of debate that produces conflicting conclusions. In particular, the Defenses section of the code outlines cases where the proponents of hate speech could be exempted.</p>

<p>Distinguishing hate speech from fear speech - speech originating from fear and masked with terms and expressions usually associated with hate - is by itself a great challenge. Motion 103 (M-103), which condemns Islamophobia in Canada, and was passed in the House of Commons this Spring, is perceived by some Canadians to be suppressing free speech.</p>

<p><strong>How to stop hate online?</strong></p>

<p>Extremist parties, politicians and their fans have all successfully taken advantage of social media platforms to spread messages filled with racism and intolerance - even incitement to radical views.</p>

<p>Right-wing activists and the movements they espouse now total more than 100 organised groups in Canada. They are more visible and also better connected than ever before.</p>

<p>Stopping hate speech and extremist views on social media may be an impossible mission.</p>

<p>Yet, a majority of Canadians get their news about politics through social media giants such as Facebook. Facebook says 84 per cent of young Canadians actively use the social media platform.</p>

<p>&quot;The essence of propaganda consists in winning people over to an idea so sincerely, so vitally, that in the end they succumb to it utterly and can never escape from it,&quot; said Joseph Goebbels, Hitler&rsquo;s minister of propaganda and national enlightenment.</p>

<p>According to the Shannon and Weaver Model of Communication, created in 1948 by mathematician and electronic engineer Claude Elwood Shannon and scientist Warren Weaver, every communication includes an information source, a message, a transmitter, a receiver, a destination and a noise source.</p>

<p>If we apply the communication model to online hate speech, we can identify the information sources as the propagandists, including extremist parties. They craft a simple, direct message such as &ldquo;Muslims are terrorists&rdquo; and transmit it through social media posts.</p>

<p>The destination is the audience the propagandists are focused on manipulating. This audience belongs to a whole spectrum, ranging from supporters of the idea to an audience that is outraged by it.</p>

<p>The receiver is the system used by the audience to decode the message and interpret it. The noise source includes the laws, acts, filtering and flagging strategies put in place to prevent the message from reaching the destination.</p>

<p>So far, it has been proven that the sender of hate speech is unstoppable and the noise source lacks efficiency since hate speech not only persists but also is on the rise.</p>

<p>Therefore, we must shift our tactics. We could, for example, focus on the receiver and the destination of the hate-filled message. We could teach the audience - youth in particular - how to withstand digital hate speech propaganda.</p>

<p><strong>Youth need to be part of the solution</strong></p>

<p>Conversations that characterise millennials as passive consumers of news with little and incidental exposure to world events could not be more wrong. A study conducted by the Media Insight Project in 2015 found youth between the age of 18 and 24 are &quot;anything but &#39;newsless&#39;&quot; passive or uninterested in civic issues.</p>

<p>Instead, they consume news and information in strikingly different ways than previous generations and their paths &quot;to discovery are more nuanced and varied than some may have imagined&quot;.&nbsp;Social media plays a large role in their news consumption.</p>

<p>Many youths are critical of media content and their choice of the information and the news they read online is far from random. They often see or experience direct or indirect racial discrimination online or witness unproductive, uncivil or disturbing Facebook discussions.</p>

<p>They recognise the agendas and algorithms behind the posts that pop up on their walls, and they hunger for an influential voice that would disrupt the discourses about issues that affect their lives.</p>

<p>Yet, fearing a backlash, a majority of youth choose to remain bystanders in an era where their social media presence and skills are needed the most. They remain &quot;power users (frequent users),&quot; instead of &quot;powerful users (influential users).&quot;</p>

<p>Youth could be our best candidates to be these agents of change, given their familiarity with social media. For this to happen, young people need to develop civic online reasoning and identify ways to leverage the power of social media for &quot;greater control, hate speech and ugly online conversations around Syrian refugees are mainly orchestrated to spread fear among people who might otherwise be members of actual or prospective welcoming communities. A campaign to counter propaganda, led by agents of change, is important to counterbalance the negative influence and allow host societies to make informed choices.voice and influence over issues that matter most in their lives.&quot;</p>

<p>They need to understand where their political tolerance and intolerance comes from and understand the concerns, emotions and values that generate public attitudes.</p>

<p>Many argue that education is not enough. However, equipping and empowering youth to disrupt the messaging transmitted by radical extremists or parties with racist agendas start with the pedagogy of understanding oneself.</p>

<p><strong>The power of self-knowledge</strong></p>

<p>My research study involved 126 in-depth interviews with 42 youth between 18 and 24 years old from Canada, the U.K., France, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Poland, Greece and Lebanon. During the interviews, I engaged these young participants in the process of learning about themselves using tools I adapted from Personal Construct Psychology.</p>

<p>I wanted to understand how they viewed their role in the integration and inclusion of refugees in their societies, in a context where the image of refugees was deeply influenced by social media, especially after terror attacks.</p>

<p>I also wanted to discover what knowledge and skills they developed through the process of understanding themselves by identifying their construct systems - the &quot;lenses&quot; they used when decoding digital propaganda targeting sensitive and controversial issues such as the Syrian refugee crisis.</p>

<p>Through our discussions, each of these 42 young people had an &quot;aha moment.&quot;</p>

<p>Regardless of their geographical locations or the ways they experienced the refugee crisis and the recent terror attacks, they had the same sudden realisation. Not only could they control how social media influenced them, but they also had a role to play in shaping the image of refugees through what they shared online.</p>

<p>They became critical of media content. They developed empathy towards both refugees and people who rejected newcomers. They moved from passive bystanders to became confident agents of change, ready to play a leadership role in counterbalancing the digital hate speech propaganda against refugees.</p>

<p>To eradicate digital hate speech propaganda, we need to prevent propagandists from reaching their objectives.</p>

<p>Laws such as Germany&rsquo;s &quot;Facebook Act&quot; constitute one piece of the solution. The other key is to make sure audiences are trained to better withstand manipulation.</p>

<p>Our youth, once equipped and empowered, are our best candidates to disrupt the messages spread by propagandists and to pursue the mission of putting a stop to hate speech.</p>

<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-trump-effect-in-canada-a-600-per-cent-increase-in-online-hate-speech-86026" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.</p>


Anti-hate laws and self-awareness education for audiences is essential to eradicate digital hate speech propaganda

Under Hitler, Germany experienced the consequences of a nation caving into propaganda and hate speech. This may explain its government’s urgency to enact a new law, known as the “Facebook Act,” in response to the recent alarming rise of hate speech online. Canada is experiencing a similar rise. Media marketing company Cision documented a six-fold rise - that’s a 600 per cent increase - in the amount of intolerant and hate speech in social media postings by Canadians between November 2015 and November 2016. Hashtags such as #banmuslims, #siegheil, #whitegenocide and #whitepower were widely used on popular social media platforms such as Twitter. Some analysts blame Trump. But Canadian media outlets shouldn’t be too smug about their adherence to the practice of fair and balanced journalism. A group of scholars at Ryerson University conducted a critical analysis of how the Canadian media covered the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Canada between September 2015 and April 2016. They found several news outlets played a major role in reinforcing the negative image of Syrian refugees and Muslims in the public eye. The refugees were subject to "othering," the practice of depicting nonwhite cultures as "alien," and highlighting differences rather than shared values or interests. The new arrivals from Syria were stereotyped, criminalised (especially men) and perceived as passive, lacking agency, vulnerable, needy and a drain on government resources. Male Syrian refugees were viewed as security threats and female Syrian refugees as voiceless, oppressed and desperate. My research study investigates the way youth view their role in society as it relates to refugees, and how they regard and interpret online propaganda. The $74 million question The European Commission recently announced a new set of guidelines and principles for online platforms to prevent content inciting hatred, violence and terrorism, and Twitter began implementing its new rules for fighting hate on Nov. 1. Should Canada follow in Germany’s footsteps and enact a law that would pressure social networks to remove offensive posts within 24 hours or risk fines of up to $74 million for failing to comply? Adopting new regulations forcing social media platforms to respond swiftly could be an effective intervention to halt the spread of hate speech online. However, it could also prove to be challenging, as moderators wade into complex language and often get it wrong. Ultimately, we need to adopt a systematic response to hateful and dangerous rhetoric online. The German social media law has been the subject of criticism since it was announced. Some critics say the law is too broad while others warn it could be the executioner of free speech. The thin line between hate speech and free speech is the focus of many concerned Canadians. In Canada, hate speech is addressed in the recently updated Criminal Code (R.S.C., 1985, c. C-46). However, the applicability of this law to online hate speech is a frequent subject of debate that produces conflicting conclusions. In particular, the Defenses section of the code outlines cases where the proponents of hate speech could be exempted. Distinguishing hate speech from fear speech - speech originating from fear and masked with terms and expressions usually associated with hate - is by itself a great challenge. Motion 103 (M-103), which condemns Islamophobia in Canada, and was passed in the House of Commons this Spring, is perceived by some Canadians to be suppressing free speech. How to stop hate online? Extremist parties, politicians and their fans have all successfully taken advantage of social media platforms to spread messages filled with racism and intolerance - even incitement to radical views. Right-wing activists and the movements they espouse now total more than 100 organised groups in Canada. They are more visible and also better connected than ever before. Stopping hate speech and extremist views on social media may be an impossible mission. Yet, a majority of Canadians get their news about politics through social media giants such as Facebook. Facebook says 84 per cent of young Canadians actively use the social media platform. "The essence of propaganda consists in winning people over to an idea so sincerely, so vitally, that in the end they succumb to it utterly and can never escape from it," said Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s minister of propaganda and national enlightenment. According to the Shannon and Weaver Model of Communication, created in 1948 by mathematician and electronic engineer Claude Elwood Shannon and scientist Warren Weaver, every communication includes an information source, a message, a transmitter, a receiver, a destination and a noise source. If we apply the communication model to online hate speech, we can identify the information sources as the propagandists, including extremist parties. They craft a simple, direct message such as “Muslims are terrorists” and transmit it through social media posts. The destination is the audience the propagandists are focused on manipulating. This audience belongs to a whole spectrum, ranging from supporters of the idea to an audience that is outraged by it. The receiver is the system used by the audience to decode the message and interpret it. The noise source includes the laws, acts, filtering and flagging strategies put in place to prevent the message from reaching the destination. So far, it has been proven that the sender of hate speech is unstoppable and the noise source lacks efficiency since hate speech not only persists but also is on the rise. Therefore, we must shift our tactics. We could, for example, focus on the receiver and the destination of the hate-filled message. We could teach the audience - youth in particular - how to withstand digital hate speech propaganda. Youth need to be part of the solution Conversations that characterise millennials as passive consumers of news with little and incidental exposure to world events could not be more wrong. A study conducted by the Media Insight Project in 2015 found youth between the age of 18 and 24 are "anything but 'newsless'" passive or uninterested in civic issues. Instead, they consume news and information in strikingly different ways than previous generations and their paths "to discovery are more nuanced and varied than some may have imagined". Social media plays a large role in their news consumption. Many youths are critical of media content and their choice of the information and the news they read online is far from random. They often see or experience direct or indirect racial discrimination online or witness unproductive, uncivil or disturbing Facebook discussions. They recognise the agendas and algorithms behind the posts that pop up on their walls, and they hunger for an influential voice that would disrupt the discourses about issues that affect their lives. Yet, fearing a backlash, a majority of youth choose to remain bystanders in an era where their social media presence and skills are needed the most. They remain "power users (frequent users)," instead of "powerful users (influential users)." Youth could be our best candidates to be these agents of change, given their familiarity with social media. For this to happen, young people need to develop civic online reasoning and identify ways to leverage the power of social media for "greater control, hate speech and ugly online conversations around Syrian refugees are mainly orchestrated to spread fear among people who might otherwise be members of actual or prospective welcoming communities. A campaign to counter propaganda, led by agents of change, is important to counterbalance the negative influence and allow host societies to make informed choices.voice and influence over issues that matter most in their lives." They need to understand where their political tolerance and intolerance comes from and understand the concerns, emotions and values that generate public attitudes. Many argue that education is not enough. However, equipping and empowering youth to disrupt the messaging transmitted by radical extremists or parties with racist agendas start with the pedagogy of understanding oneself. The power of self-knowledge My research study involved 126 in-depth interviews with 42 youth between 18 and 24 years old from Canada, the U.K., France, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Poland, Greece and Lebanon. During the interviews, I engaged these young participants in the process of learning about themselves using tools I adapted from Personal Construct Psychology. I wanted to understand how they viewed their role in the integration and inclusion of refugees in their societies, in a context where the image of refugees was deeply influenced by social media, especially after terror attacks. I also wanted to discover what knowledge and skills they developed through the process of understanding themselves by identifying their construct systems - the "lenses" they used when decoding digital propaganda targeting sensitive and controversial issues such as the Syrian refugee crisis. Through our discussions, each of these 42 young people had an "aha moment." Regardless of their geographical locations or the ways they experienced the refugee crisis and the recent terror attacks, they had the same sudden realisation. Not only could they control how social media influenced them, but they also had a role to play in shaping the image of refugees through what they shared online. They became critical of media content. They developed empathy towards both refugees and people who rejected newcomers. They moved from passive bystanders to became confident agents of change, ready to play a leadership role in counterbalancing the digital hate speech propaganda against refugees. To eradicate digital hate speech propaganda, we need to prevent propagandists from reaching their objectives. Laws such as Germany’s "Facebook Act" constitute one piece of the solution. The other key is to make sure audiences are trained to better withstand manipulation. Our youth, once equipped and empowered, are our best candidates to disrupt the messages spread by propagandists and to pursue the mission of putting a stop to hate speech. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

The Trump effect in Canada: A 600 per cent increase in online hate speech

<p>Donald Trump&#39;s Twitter account vanished for 11 minutes on Thursday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Visitors to&nbsp;@realDonaldTrump around 2300 GMT Thursday were greeted with the message &quot;Sorry, that page doesn&#39;t exist!&quot;</p>

<p>Given the US president&#39;s frequent use of the platform, it was speculated that Twitter had deliberately disabled Trump&#39;s account.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Twitter first blamed the deactivation to &quot;human error&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Earlier today <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realdonaldtrump</a>&rsquo;s account was inadvertently deactivated due to human error by a Twitter employee. The account was down for 11 minutes, and has since been restored. We are continuing to investigate and are taking steps to prevent this from happening again.</p>
&mdash; Twitter Government (@TwitterGov) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwitterGov/status/926238960594178048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trumps-twitter-account-vanishes-briefly-23412" target="_blank">Also read:&nbsp;Trump&#39;s Twitter account vanishes, briefly</a></p>

<p>It later said a departing worker was to blame.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Through our investigation we have learned that this was done by a Twitter customer support employee who did this on the employee&rsquo;s last day. We are conducting a full internal review. <a href="https://t.co/mlarOgiaRF">https://t.co/mlarOgiaRF</a></p>
&mdash; Twitter Government (@TwitterGov) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwitterGov/status/926267806261407744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>That a customer support employee had disabled Trump&#39;s account on his last day at work.&nbsp;</p>

<p>And that they were &quot;conducting a full internal review&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Twitterati have in the past accused Trump of violating the platform&#39;s guidelines -- by issuing a&nbsp;clear threat of violence.</p>

<p>Trump had at one time threatened that North Korea &ldquo;won&rsquo;t be around much longer&rdquo; if the country&rsquo;s leadership allowed hostile rhetoric against the United States to continue.</p>

<p>The North Korean government called it a declaration of war.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This time of course Twitter was able to see the humour in the temporary disabling:&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We&#39;ll never forget the 10 minutes of peace while Donald Trump&rsquo;s Twitter account was down.</p>
&mdash; Luisa Haynes (@wokeluisa) <a href="https://twitter.com/wokeluisa/status/926231137869058053?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Twitter HQ when they found out Donald Trump got deactivated for 11 minutes. <a href="https://t.co/dqu79C3x6Q">pic.twitter.com/dqu79C3x6Q</a></p>
&mdash; THANKFUL X (@XLNB) <a href="https://twitter.com/XLNB/status/926272156123652097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">New Twitter employee mistakenly deactivates Donald Trump&#39;s Twitter account <a href="https://t.co/gZ50xWC2bo">pic.twitter.com/gZ50xWC2bo</a></p>
&mdash; Alex Marr (@Alexmarr98) <a href="https://twitter.com/Alexmarr98/status/926266209452150784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


Trump's Twitter account was disabled for 11 minutes

Donald Trump's Twitter account vanished for 11 minutes on Thursday. Visitors to @realDonaldTrump around 2300 GMT Thursday were greeted with the message "Sorry, that page doesn't exist!" Given the US president's frequent use of the platform, it was speculated that Twitter had deliberately disabled Trump's account. Twitter first blamed the deactivation to "human error". Earlier today @realdonaldtrump’s account was inadvertently deactivated due to human error by a Twitter employee. The account was down for 11 minutes, and has since been restored. We are continuing to investigate and are taking steps to prevent this from happening again. — Twitter Government (@TwitterGov) November 3, 2017 × Also read: Trump's Twitter account vanishes, briefly It later said a departing worker was to blame. Through our investigation we have learned that this was done by a Twitter customer support employee who did this on the employee’s last day. We are conducting a full internal review. https://t.co/mlarOgiaRF — Twitter Government (@TwitterGov) November 3, 2017 × That a customer support employee had disabled Trump's account on his last day at work. And that they were "conducting a full internal review". The Twitterati have in the past accused Trump of violating the platform's guidelines -- by issuing a clear threat of violence. Trump had at one time threatened that North Korea “won’t be around much longer” if the country’s leadership allowed hostile rhetoric against the United States to continue. The North Korean government called it a declaration of war. This time of course Twitter was able to see the humour in the temporary disabling: We'll never forget the 10 minutes of peace while Donald Trump’s Twitter account was down. — Luisa Haynes (@wokeluisa) November 2, 2017 × Twitter HQ when they found out Donald Trump got deactivated for 11 minutes. pic.twitter.com/dqu79C3x6Q — THANKFUL X (@XLNB) November 3, 2017 × New Twitter employee mistakenly deactivates Donald Trump's Twitter account pic.twitter.com/gZ50xWC2bo — Alex Marr (@Alexmarr98) November 3, 2017 ×

Trump Twitter account shut down by employee on last day of work

<p>President Donald Trump said Friday that the Islamic State group will pay a &quot;big price&quot; for every attack it stages against the United States, following the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/truck-kills-8-on-new-york-bike-path-in-us-deadliest-attack-since-911-23265" target="_blank">New York truck attack by an IS loyalist</a>.</p>

<p>The US military has hit IS &quot;much harder&quot; over the past two days after the jihadist group claimed the attacker was one of their soldiers, Trump said.</p>

<p>&quot;They will pay a big price for every attack on us!&quot; Trump wrote on Twitter. The New York attack Tuesday left eight dead and 12 wounded.</p>

<p>Trump has said the alleged attacker, Uzbek immigrant Sayfullo Saipov, 29, should be executed.</p>

<p>Trump backed off initial comments that he would like to see the man sent to the US prison for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">ISIS just claimed the Degenerate Animal who killed, and so badly wounded, the wonderful people on the West Side, was &quot;their soldier.&quot; .....</p>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/926419647708258304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">...Based on that, the Military has hit ISIS &quot;much harder&quot; over the last two days. They will pay a big price for every attack on us!</p>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/926421589159182339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


Trump has said the alleged attacker, Uzbek immigrant Sayfullo Saipov, 29, should be executed

President Donald Trump said Friday that the Islamic State group will pay a "big price" for every attack it stages against the United States, following the New York truck attack by an IS loyalist. The US military has hit IS "much harder" over the past two days after the jihadist group claimed the attacker was one of their soldiers, Trump said. "They will pay a big price for every attack on us!" Trump wrote on Twitter. The New York attack Tuesday left eight dead and 12 wounded. Trump has said the alleged attacker, Uzbek immigrant Sayfullo Saipov, 29, should be executed. Trump backed off initial comments that he would like to see the man sent to the US prison for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. ISIS just claimed the Degenerate Animal who killed, and so badly wounded, the wonderful people on the West Side, was "their soldier." ..... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 3, 2017 × ...Based on that, the Military has hit ISIS "much harder" over the last two days. They will pay a big price for every attack on us! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 3, 2017 ×

IS will pay 'big price' for each attack on US: Trump

<p>US President Donald Trump has decided at the last minute to extend a marathon trip to Asia, after criticism that he was expected to miss an East Asia regional summit.</p>

<p>&quot;We&#39;re actually staying an extra day in the Philippines,&quot; Trump said on departure Friday, a decision that was confirmed by senior White House officials.</p>


US President Donald Trump has decided at the last minute to extend a marathon trip to Asia, after criticism that he was expected to miss an East Asia regional summit

US President Donald Trump has decided at the last minute to extend a marathon trip to Asia, after criticism that he was expected to miss an East Asia regional summit. "We're actually staying an extra day in the Philippines," Trump said on departure Friday, a decision that was confirmed by senior White House officials.

Trump to extend Asia trip, attend East Asia Summit: White House

<p>Weakened on the domestic front, President Donald Trump&nbsp;embarks this week on a long and challenging Asian tour set to be dominated by the North Korean nuclear threat after months of verbal escalation between Washington and Pyongyang.</p>

<p>Taking him from Japan to South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines, the bumper November 3-14 trip is the US leader&#39;s first to the region since his election exactly a year ago.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On his agenda are several key regional summits but also closely-watched face to face meetings, be it with his powerful Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, or the controversial Philippines strongman, Rodrigo Duterte.</p>

<p>With his approval ratings languishing at record lows, will the 71-year-old president manage to leave behind the spectacular recent developments in the probe into Russian election meddling? Will he forego his morning tweeting for the duration of the 12-day trip?</p>

<p>The White House has sought to emphasize the length of the five-nation tour&nbsp;the longest by any US president since George H W&nbsp;Bush in 1991 as evidence of Trump&#39;s commitment to engaging with the region.</p>

<p>But doubts linger on that point, most notably on the economic front following Trump&#39;s abrupt decision&nbsp;three days into office&nbsp;to pull out of the TPP trans-Pacific trade deal, which unsettled several signatories and Japan in particular.</p>

<p>Supporters of the deal, struck in 2015 by 12 nations who together account for 40 per cent of&nbsp;the world economy, had championed it as a vital counterweight to the growing influence of China.</p>

<p><strong>&nbsp;Trump&#39;s &#39;friend&#39; Abe</strong></p>

<p>After a brief stopover in Hawaii, Trump will Sunday join his &quot;friend&quot; Shinzo Abe for a new round of golf&nbsp;following the one they shared in Florida last February&nbsp;before a series of meetings aimed at underscoring the strength of the US-Japanese alliance.</p>

<p>In South Korea, Trump&nbsp;unlike many of his predecessors will not travel to the Demilitarized Zone dividing the Korean peninsula, instead delivering what is set to be a closely scrutinized speech before the country&#39;s national assembly.</p>

<p>Seoul will be hoping during trump&#39;s two-day visit starting Tuesday for a reaffirmation of its alliance with Washington, at a time when the North is pushing ahead with its nuclear and ballistic missile programs in defiance of the international community.</p>

<p>It is also seeking reassurances of a different nature.</p>

<p>&quot;South Koreans also want to know that the United States is not going to prematurely or unnecessarily draw South Korea into any kind of military conflict,&quot; said Scott Snyder of the New York-based think-tank the Council on Foreign Relations.</p>

<p>Since taking office, the US president has vowed to unleash &quot;fire and fury&quot; if threatened by Kim Jong-Un&#39;s regime, has contradicted his top diplomat about direct contacts with Pyongyang, and sent out a string of cryptic messages&nbsp;&quot;We&#39;ll do what has to be done!&quot; &nbsp;that ultimately left observers guessing at his true intentions toward North Korea.</p>

<p>For Michael O&#39;Hanlon, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution, Trump has been &quot;ad-libbing&quot; on what has emerged as the major foreign policy challenge of his presidency so far.</p>

<p>&quot;And people like (Defense) Secretary (Jim) Mattis and Secretary (of State Rex) Tillerson are trying to somehow hold things together and make sense of it and keep the lid on, as best they can.&quot;</p>

<p><strong>&nbsp;Xi Jinping, &#39;powerful man&#39;&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>After Seoul, the 45th US president heads to Beijing next Wednesday to meet his counterpart Xi Jinping just weeks after he was formally handed a second term in power, solidifying his grip on the world&#39;s most populous nation.</p>

<p>&quot;He&#39;s a powerful man,&quot; Trump recently declared of Xi. &quot;I happen to think he&#39;s a very good person,&quot; added the US president, who despite his campaign rhetoric railing against China&#39;s trade imbalance with the United States has so far trodden relatively carefully in dealing with the Asian giant.</p>

<p>&quot;The Chinese are basically quite content with the status quo of the economic relationship,&quot; said David Dollar, an expert on China&#39;s economy at the Brookings Institution, who predicts Xi will grant Trump a lavish welcome but few concessions.</p>

<p>In Vietnam on Friday, Trump will take part in an APEC summit in Danang, and deliver a speech on his vision for a &quot;free and open Indo-Pacific region&quot; that is eagerly awaited by the business community.</p>

<p>But following its rejection of the TPP, America&#39;s roadmap for engaging with the region economically remains unclear.</p>

<p>&quot;I don&#39;t see much hope for many new bilateral trade agreements to be negotiated at this point,&quot; summed up Elizabeth Economy of the Council on Foreign Relations.</p>

<p>Wrapping up his trip in Manila on November 12-13, Trump&nbsp;will take part in the ASEAN summit of South East Asian leaders, and will hold what could turn out to be a colorful one-on-one with the outspoken Duterte, whose bloody crackdown on alleged drug gang members has drawn widespread condemnation.</p>

<p>&quot;We&#39;re going to the Philippines, where the previous administration was not exactly welcome,&quot; Trump crowed earlier this week.</p>

<p>Critics note that while Barack Obama was among the many international critics of Duterte&#39;s drug war, his successor in the White House has struck a far more conciliatory tone, praising the controversial leader as doing an &quot;unbelievable job on the drug problem.&#39;&#39;</p>


President Donald Trump?embarks this week on a long and challenging Asian tour set to be dominated by the North Korean nuclear threat

Weakened on the domestic front, President Donald Trump embarks this week on a long and challenging Asian tour set to be dominated by the North Korean nuclear threat after months of verbal escalation between Washington and Pyongyang. Taking him from Japan to South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines, the bumper November 3-14 trip is the US leader's first to the region since his election exactly a year ago. On his agenda are several key regional summits but also closely-watched face to face meetings, be it with his powerful Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, or the controversial Philippines strongman, Rodrigo Duterte. With his approval ratings languishing at record lows, will the 71-year-old president manage to leave behind the spectacular recent developments in the probe into Russian election meddling? Will he forego his morning tweeting for the duration of the 12-day trip? The White House has sought to emphasize the length of the five-nation tour the longest by any US president since George H W Bush in 1991 as evidence of Trump's commitment to engaging with the region. But doubts linger on that point, most notably on the economic front following Trump's abrupt decision three days into office to pull out of the TPP trans-Pacific trade deal, which unsettled several signatories and Japan in particular. Supporters of the deal, struck in 2015 by 12 nations who together account for 40 per cent of the world economy, had championed it as a vital counterweight to the growing influence of China. Trump's 'friend' Abe After a brief stopover in Hawaii, Trump will Sunday join his "friend" Shinzo Abe for a new round of golf following the one they shared in Florida last February before a series of meetings aimed at underscoring the strength of the US-Japanese alliance. In South Korea, Trump unlike many of his predecessors will not travel to the Demilitarized Zone dividing the Korean peninsula, instead delivering what is set to be a closely scrutinized speech before the country's national assembly. Seoul will be hoping during trump's two-day visit starting Tuesday for a reaffirmation of its alliance with Washington, at a time when the North is pushing ahead with its nuclear and ballistic missile programs in defiance of the international community. It is also seeking reassurances of a different nature. "South Koreans also want to know that the United States is not going to prematurely or unnecessarily draw South Korea into any kind of military conflict," said Scott Snyder of the New York-based think-tank the Council on Foreign Relations. Since taking office, the US president has vowed to unleash "fire and fury" if threatened by Kim Jong-Un's regime, has contradicted his top diplomat about direct contacts with Pyongyang, and sent out a string of cryptic messages "We'll do what has to be done!" that ultimately left observers guessing at his true intentions toward North Korea. For Michael O'Hanlon, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution, Trump has been "ad-libbing" on what has emerged as the major foreign policy challenge of his presidency so far. "And people like (Defense) Secretary (Jim) Mattis and Secretary (of State Rex) Tillerson are trying to somehow hold things together and make sense of it and keep the lid on, as best they can." Xi Jinping, 'powerful man' After Seoul, the 45th US president heads to Beijing next Wednesday to meet his counterpart Xi Jinping just weeks after he was formally handed a second term in power, solidifying his grip on the world's most populous nation. "He's a powerful man," Trump recently declared of Xi. "I happen to think he's a very good person," added the US president, who despite his campaign rhetoric railing against China's trade imbalance with the United States has so far trodden relatively carefully in dealing with the Asian giant. "The Chinese are basically quite content with the status quo of the economic relationship," said David Dollar, an expert on China's economy at the Brookings Institution, who predicts Xi will grant Trump a lavish welcome but few concessions. In Vietnam on Friday, Trump will take part in an APEC summit in Danang, and deliver a speech on his vision for a "free and open Indo-Pacific region" that is eagerly awaited by the business community. But following its rejection of the TPP, America's roadmap for engaging with the region economically remains unclear. "I don't see much hope for many new bilateral trade agreements to be negotiated at this point," summed up Elizabeth Economy of the Council on Foreign Relations. Wrapping up his trip in Manila on November 12-13, Trump will take part in the ASEAN summit of South East Asian leaders, and will hold what could turn out to be a colorful one-on-one with the outspoken Duterte, whose bloody crackdown on alleged drug gang members has drawn widespread condemnation. "We're going to the Philippines, where the previous administration was not exactly welcome," Trump crowed earlier this week. Critics note that while Barack Obama was among the many international critics of Duterte's drug war, his successor in the White House has struck a far more conciliatory tone, praising the controversial leader as doing an "unbelievable job on the drug problem.''

Weakened Donald Trump readies for high-stakes Asia trip

<p>US President Donald Trump is expected on Thursday to nominate Jerome Powell as the next head of the Federal Reserve, putting his own stamp on the leadership of the US&nbsp;central bank while signaling continuity on monetary policy.</p>

<p>Trump&#39;s decision, scheduled for Thursday afternoon, concludes a months-long process in which he considered five finalists, including current Fed Chair Janet Yellen, before settling on Powell who has served as a Fed governor since 2012.</p>

<p>Powell&#39;s name has been circulated as the top contender for over a week.</p>

<p>A source with knowledge of the process said no surprises were expected on Thursday, despite Trump&#39;s reputation for weighing decisions up to the last minute and his praise on Wednesday of Yellen, who was nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama. Her term as Fed chair expires in February 2018 though she is entitled to remain a Fed board governor until 2024.</p>

<p>&quot;I think Janet Yellen is excellent,&quot; Trump told reporters during a meeting with his cabinet after declaring his intention to announce his choice the next day.</p>

<p>Asked if she was his pick, Trump said: &quot;I didn&#39;t say that.&quot;</p>

<p>He predicted people would be &quot;extremely impressed&quot; with the nominee, who will require Senate confirmation.</p>

<p>Powell, 64, has supported Yellen&#39;s general direction in setting monetary policy, and in recent years has shared her concerns that low inflation justified continuing with a cautious approach to raising interest rates.</p>

<p>Commerzbank economist Bernd Weidensteiner said a Powell pick would mean Trump had chosen the &quot;least controversial&quot; person for the job. &quot;Under his chairmanship markets would expect business as usual&nbsp;which they obviously like,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>The president has mulled his choices for Fed chair, a decision that is normally cloaked in secrecy, in an unusually public way, asking lawmakers and even a television news anchor to weigh in on whom they would pick.</p>

<p>Trump also considered Stanford University economist John Taylor, former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh, and White House economic adviser Gary Cohn.</p>

<p>Taylor and Warsh were both viewed as people who might raise interest rates at a faster pace than Yellen and Powell. Cohn appeared to fall out of favor after criticizing Trump&#39;s reaction to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this year.</p>

<p>Financial markets look set to greet Powell&#39;s appointment with a shrug. Investors are pricing in an interest rate rise in December and the Fed&#39;s current projections are for three more rate rises next year.</p>

<p>Powell is expected to pursue a policy of cautious deregulation of the financial sector, potentially freeing smaller banks from some of the rules imposed in the wake of the 2007-2008 financial crisis.</p>

<p>Powell, who has been a Federal Reserve board governor since 2012, played a key role in drafting new bank regulations after the crisis and will likely offer more continuity for Wall Street than other candidates, analysts said.</p>


Jerome Powell's name has been circulated as the top contender for over a week.

US President Donald Trump is expected on Thursday to nominate Jerome Powell as the next head of the Federal Reserve, putting his own stamp on the leadership of the US central bank while signaling continuity on monetary policy. Trump's decision, scheduled for Thursday afternoon, concludes a months-long process in which he considered five finalists, including current Fed Chair Janet Yellen, before settling on Powell who has served as a Fed governor since 2012. Powell's name has been circulated as the top contender for over a week. A source with knowledge of the process said no surprises were expected on Thursday, despite Trump's reputation for weighing decisions up to the last minute and his praise on Wednesday of Yellen, who was nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama. Her term as Fed chair expires in February 2018 though she is entitled to remain a Fed board governor until 2024. "I think Janet Yellen is excellent," Trump told reporters during a meeting with his cabinet after declaring his intention to announce his choice the next day. Asked if she was his pick, Trump said: "I didn't say that." He predicted people would be "extremely impressed" with the nominee, who will require Senate confirmation. Powell, 64, has supported Yellen's general direction in setting monetary policy, and in recent years has shared her concerns that low inflation justified continuing with a cautious approach to raising interest rates. Commerzbank economist Bernd Weidensteiner said a Powell pick would mean Trump had chosen the "least controversial" person for the job. "Under his chairmanship markets would expect business as usual which they obviously like," he said. The president has mulled his choices for Fed chair, a decision that is normally cloaked in secrecy, in an unusually public way, asking lawmakers and even a television news anchor to weigh in on whom they would pick. Trump also considered Stanford University economist John Taylor, former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh, and White House economic adviser Gary Cohn. Taylor and Warsh were both viewed as people who might raise interest rates at a faster pace than Yellen and Powell. Cohn appeared to fall out of favor after criticizing Trump's reaction to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this year. Financial markets look set to greet Powell's appointment with a shrug. Investors are pricing in an interest rate rise in December and the Fed's current projections are for three more rate rises next year. Powell is expected to pursue a policy of cautious deregulation of the financial sector, potentially freeing smaller banks from some of the rules imposed in the wake of the 2007-2008 financial crisis. Powell, who has been a Federal Reserve board governor since 2012, played a key role in drafting new bank regulations after the crisis and will likely offer more continuity for Wall Street than other candidates, analysts said.

Donald Trump expected to name Jerome Powell as next head of Federal Reserve

<p>U.S. President Donald Trump called for the death penalty on Wednesday for an Uzbek immigrant accused of plowing a truck down a New York City bike path, killing eight people, describing the man as a &quot;terrorist.&quot;</p>

<p>Sayfullo Saipov, 29, who was hospitalized after he was shot by a police officer and arrested, told investigators he had been inspired by watching Islamic State videos and began planning Tuesday&#39;s attack a year ago, according to a criminal complaint filed against him on Wednesday.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">NYC terrorist was happy as he asked to hang ISIS flag in his hospital room. He killed 8 people, badly injured 12. SHOULD GET DEATH PENALTY!</p>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/925931294705545216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&quot;NYC terrorist was happy as he asked to hang ISIS flag in his hospital room. He killed 8 people, badly injured 12. SHOULD GET DEATH PENALTY!&quot; Trump tweeted.</p>

<p>Saipov was charged with one count of providing material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, specifically Islamic State, and one count of violence and destruction of motor vehicles causing the deaths of eight people.</p>

<p>Manhattan acting U.S. Attorney Joon Kim said the first count carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, while the second would make Saipov eligible for capital punishment if convicted, if the government chose to seek the death penalty. Additional or different charges could be brought later in an indictment, Kim said.</p>

<p>Vehicle assaults similar to the New York attack took place in Spain in August and in France and Germany last year, claiming dozens of lives.</p>

<p>Saipov confessed to authorities that he made a trial run with a rental truck on Oct. 22 to practice turning the vehicle and &quot;stated that he felt good about what he had done&quot; after the attack, the complaint said.</p>

<p>The 10-page charging document said Saipov waived his rights to remain silent and avoid self-incrimination in agreeing to speak to investigators without an attorney present from his bed at Bellevue Hospital Center in Manhattan.</p>

<p>The complaint said Saipov had requested permission to display the flag of the Islamic State militant group in his hospital room.</p>

<p>It said he was particularly motivated by seeing a video in which Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who led the campaign by Islamic State - also known as ISIS - to seize territory for a self-proclaimed caliphate within Iraq and Syria, exhorted Muslims in the United States and elsewhere to support the group&#39;s cause.</p>

<p>Investigators found thousands of ISIS-related propaganda images and videos on a cellphone belonging to Saipov, including video clips showing ISIS prisoners being beheaded, run over by a tank and shot in the face, the complaint said.</p>

<p>The Federal Bureau of Investigation said it had located another Uzbek man, Mukhammadzoir Kadirov, 32, wanted for questioning as a person of interest in the attack.</p>

<p>U.S. law enforcement officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing, told Reuters that Saipov had been in contact with Kadirov and another person of interest in the investigation, though they did not elaborate.</p>

<p>Tuesday&#39;s assault was the deadliest in New York City since Sept. 11, 2001, when suicide hijackers crashed two jetliners into the World Trade Center, killing more than 2,600 people.</p>


"NYC terrorist was happy as he asked to hang ISIS flag in his hospital room. He killed 8 people, badly injured 12. SHOULD GET DEATH PENALTY!" Trump tweeted.

U.S. President Donald Trump called for the death penalty on Wednesday for an Uzbek immigrant accused of plowing a truck down a New York City bike path, killing eight people, describing the man as a "terrorist." Sayfullo Saipov, 29, who was hospitalized after he was shot by a police officer and arrested, told investigators he had been inspired by watching Islamic State videos and began planning Tuesday's attack a year ago, according to a criminal complaint filed against him on Wednesday. NYC terrorist was happy as he asked to hang ISIS flag in his hospital room. He killed 8 people, badly injured 12. SHOULD GET DEATH PENALTY! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 2, 2017 × "NYC terrorist was happy as he asked to hang ISIS flag in his hospital room. He killed 8 people, badly injured 12. SHOULD GET DEATH PENALTY!" Trump tweeted. Saipov was charged with one count of providing material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, specifically Islamic State, and one count of violence and destruction of motor vehicles causing the deaths of eight people. Manhattan acting U.S. Attorney Joon Kim said the first count carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, while the second would make Saipov eligible for capital punishment if convicted, if the government chose to seek the death penalty. Additional or different charges could be brought later in an indictment, Kim said. Vehicle assaults similar to the New York attack took place in Spain in August and in France and Germany last year, claiming dozens of lives. Saipov confessed to authorities that he made a trial run with a rental truck on Oct. 22 to practice turning the vehicle and "stated that he felt good about what he had done" after the attack, the complaint said. The 10-page charging document said Saipov waived his rights to remain silent and avoid self-incrimination in agreeing to speak to investigators without an attorney present from his bed at Bellevue Hospital Center in Manhattan. The complaint said Saipov had requested permission to display the flag of the Islamic State militant group in his hospital room. It said he was particularly motivated by seeing a video in which Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who led the campaign by Islamic State - also known as ISIS - to seize territory for a self-proclaimed caliphate within Iraq and Syria, exhorted Muslims in the United States and elsewhere to support the group's cause. Investigators found thousands of ISIS-related propaganda images and videos on a cellphone belonging to Saipov, including video clips showing ISIS prisoners being beheaded, run over by a tank and shot in the face, the complaint said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation said it had located another Uzbek man, Mukhammadzoir Kadirov, 32, wanted for questioning as a person of interest in the attack. U.S. law enforcement officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing, told Reuters that Saipov had been in contact with Kadirov and another person of interest in the investigation, though they did not elaborate. Tuesday's assault was the deadliest in New York City since Sept. 11, 2001, when suicide hijackers crashed two jetliners into the World Trade Center, killing more than 2,600 people.

Trump calls for death penalty for Uzbek man charged in New York attack

<p>New York is an intrepid city. One can&#39;t but fall in love with it. I for that matter was in complete awe. Having lived and worked there for years, I would marvel at the city&#39;s capacity to absorb the most myriad group of ethnic communities across the world. The heinous 9/11 attack did leave its scar on the city but failed to daunt its spirit. While rest of the US has become suspicious of foreigners in different degrees, NYC continues to live up to the unmatched standard of its own cosmopolitanism. An unusual mix of people, culture and religion.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">New York is an international symbol of freedom and democracy, and we will not be deterred. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NYCstrong?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NYCstrong</a> <a href="https://t.co/2antds3185">pic.twitter.com/2antds3185</a></p>
&mdash; Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYGovCuomo/status/925520087670493184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">New York&#39;s resilience is stronger than a cowardly act of terror. Thinking of the victims, their families, &amp; the responders who saved lives.</p>
&mdash; Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) <a href="https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/925515496576962562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>No person, no group, no community own NYC. The city belongs to all New Yorkers. And who is a New Yorker? Anyone who lives there, works in the city, share the city&#39;s spirit. You don&#39;t have to be particularly white, a Jew or an American citizen to be a New Yorker. The city will embrace you. Slowly, with time, as you gain your foothold in that behemoth metropolis, if you start feeling comfortable with its peculiar ebb and flow of life, the city will suck you in. The people make New York City what it is. Not the buildings, shops, the cars or the affluence.</p>

<p>&quot;New York is very much like the movies&quot;, the Algerian-French couple pointed out to me as the sun set over the white desert, close to Jordan&#39;s border with Saudi Arabia. I agreed in politeness. But the city, in reality, is stranger than celluloid fiction.</p>

<p>In the real world, Italy may have very little to do with China; there could possibly be no overlaps between the languages, cultures, food types of the two countries but just across Mulberry Street, Little Italy and China Town co-exist. How do the residents of two blocs communicate? I have no idea. Do they fight each other? No.</p>

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<h5>Life in the City is a rich tapestry of diverse colours, designs and motifs. And that is what makes it unique. You cannot essentialise it, reduce it, box it, or simplify it.</h5>
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<p>This coexistence evident all over the city is not a doing of NYPD alone. Over years, the city has learned to live an eclectic life, slowing growing out of its more violent past. It respects stability but is not hankering for homogeneity. While one can decide to stick to one&#39;s culture and language, religion and dress, there is always the possibility of getting enriched by others who are very different. Different but no less.</p>

<p>Life in the City is a rich tapestry of diverse colours, designs and motifs. And that is what makes it unique. You cannot essentialise it, reduce it, box it, or simplify it. The City is a bundle of contradictions.</p>

<p>Yesterday&#39;s terrorist attack was a brutal blow to this richness of life, mauling to the ground the values the City stands for. Not only have we lost eight precious lives; we have jeopardised a spirit which is hard to find nowadays because there is so much hate, jingoism, and intolerance.</p>

<p>Let us for a moment not get into the number game by saying, oh, only eight died. I agree many more die in the war zones of West Asia every day. But we cannot for sake of humanity compare lives with lives. Every life lost is a loss. Let us condemn it.</p>

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<h5>How is killing these people, most of whom are tourists and immigrants, help to maul the military might of the US?</h5>
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<p><strong>Also watch:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/school-bus-with-children-inside-hit-in-new-york-attack-6467"><strong>School bus with children inside hit in New York attack</strong></a></p>

<p>The mindless terror that motivated the assassin appals me. No for god&#39;s sake don&#39;t try to convince me of the ideological underpinning of the act. It had none. It was not even prompted by an empathy for a cause. The terrorist decided to strike at the hub of New York&#39;s tourist destination. It is very much a civilian space too. It is a stone throw away from Wall Trade Center, Wall Street, Anne Frank Museum. Millions of commuter included me, travelled through that locality every day. How is killing these people, most of whom are tourists and immigrants, help to maul the military might of the US?</p>

<p>In his mindless rage, what the assassin might have missed is that such actions make the US an even more paranoid country. The current president is already hellbent to stop immigration with his exclusionary ideology that has little regard for the New York spirit. This attack will give Donald Trump one more and a very big excuse to close the doors and come down hard on other countries whose citizens he is keen on relegating to lives of eternal damnation. It is already evident from Twitter posts how hate is flowing fast and thick</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Stop letting these animals in the country!</p>
&mdash; Jose Guitian Cicero (@omgitzjose) <a href="https://twitter.com/omgitzjose/status/925589998312751104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Start deportations, entire families. Investigate all their neighbors.<br />
Ppl start paying attention who TFK lives next door! +Fk protesters!!!</p>
&mdash; ?NdRE (@cruztomahawk) <a href="https://twitter.com/cruztomahawk/status/925597499502616577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">There will be no freedom when those terrorists will kill us all??</p>
&mdash; Bina Arington (@Baring5225) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baring5225/status/925592483777593344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>My only plea today is if you wish to fight hegemony, violence, hatred, then think carefully and resist strategically. Killing innocent lives does not help whatever cause you are fighting for, it does not defeat your mighty opponent and, the worst is, you only help to bolster jingoistic responses. More importantly, you end up killing a spirit which you may actually want to champion, at least for the sake of a more tolerant world.</p>


This attack will give Donald Trump one more and a very big excuse to close the doors and come down hard on other countries whose citizens he is keen on relegating to lives of eternal damnation.

New York is an intrepid city. One can't but fall in love with it. I for that matter was in complete awe. Having lived and worked there for years, I would marvel at the city's capacity to absorb the most myriad group of ethnic communities across the world. The heinous 9/11 attack did leave its scar on the city but failed to daunt its spirit. While rest of the US has become suspicious of foreigners in different degrees, NYC continues to live up to the unmatched standard of its own cosmopolitanism. An unusual mix of people, culture and religion. New York is an international symbol of freedom and democracy, and we will not be deterred. #NYCstrong pic.twitter.com/2antds3185 — Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) November 1, 2017 × New York's resilience is stronger than a cowardly act of terror. Thinking of the victims, their families, & the responders who saved lives. — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 1, 2017 × No person, no group, no community own NYC. The city belongs to all New Yorkers. And who is a New Yorker? Anyone who lives there, works in the city, share the city's spirit. You don't have to be particularly white, a Jew or an American citizen to be a New Yorker. The city will embrace you. Slowly, with time, as you gain your foothold in that behemoth metropolis, if you start feeling comfortable with its peculiar ebb and flow of life, the city will suck you in. The people make New York City what it is. Not the buildings, shops, the cars or the affluence. "New York is very much like the movies", the Algerian-French couple pointed out to me as the sun set over the white desert, close to Jordan's border with Saudi Arabia. I agreed in politeness. But the city, in reality, is stranger than celluloid fiction. In the real world, Italy may have very little to do with China; there could possibly be no overlaps between the languages, cultures, food types of the two countries but just across Mulberry Street, Little Italy and China Town co-exist. How do the residents of two blocs communicate? I have no idea. Do they fight each other? No. Life in the City is a rich tapestry of diverse colours, designs and motifs. And that is what makes it unique. You cannot essentialise it, reduce it, box it, or simplify it. × This coexistence evident all over the city is not a doing of NYPD alone. Over years, the city has learned to live an eclectic life, slowing growing out of its more violent past. It respects stability but is not hankering for homogeneity. While one can decide to stick to one's culture and language, religion and dress, there is always the possibility of getting enriched by others who are very different. Different but no less. Life in the City is a rich tapestry of diverse colours, designs and motifs. And that is what makes it unique. You cannot essentialise it, reduce it, box it, or simplify it. The City is a bundle of contradictions. Yesterday's terrorist attack was a brutal blow to this richness of life, mauling to the ground the values the City stands for. Not only have we lost eight precious lives; we have jeopardised a spirit which is hard to find nowadays because there is so much hate, jingoism, and intolerance. Let us for a moment not get into the number game by saying, oh, only eight died. I agree many more die in the war zones of West Asia every day. But we cannot for sake of humanity compare lives with lives. Every life lost is a loss. Let us condemn it. How is killing these people, most of whom are tourists and immigrants, help to maul the military might of the US? × Also watch: School bus with children inside hit in New York attack The mindless terror that motivated the assassin appals me. No for god's sake don't try to convince me of the ideological underpinning of the act. It had none. It was not even prompted by an empathy for a cause. The terrorist decided to strike at the hub of New York's tourist destination. It is very much a civilian space too. It is a stone throw away from Wall Trade Center, Wall Street, Anne Frank Museum. Millions of commuter included me, travelled through that locality every day. How is killing these people, most of whom are tourists and immigrants, help to maul the military might of the US? In his mindless rage, what the assassin might have missed is that such actions make the US an even more paranoid country. The current president is already hellbent to stop immigration with his exclusionary ideology that has little regard for the New York spirit. This attack will give Donald Trump one more and a very big excuse to close the doors and come down hard on other countries whose citizens he is keen on relegating to lives of eternal damnation. It is already evident from Twitter posts how hate is flowing fast and thick Stop letting these animals in the country! — Jose Guitian Cicero (@omgitzjose) November 1, 2017 × Start deportations, entire families. Investigate all their neighbors. Ppl start paying attention who TFK lives next door! +Fk protesters!!! — ?NdRE (@cruztomahawk) November 1, 2017 × There will be no freedom when those terrorists will kill us all?? — Bina Arington (@Baring5225) November 1, 2017 × My only plea today is if you wish to fight hegemony, violence, hatred, then think carefully and resist strategically. Killing innocent lives does not help whatever cause you are fighting for, it does not defeat your mighty opponent and, the worst is, you only help to bolster jingoistic responses. More importantly, you end up killing a spirit which you may actually want to champion, at least for the sake of a more tolerant world.

Terror attacks on NYC will bolster jingoism in the US

<p>Uzbekistan told US&nbsp;President Donald Trump on Wednesday it was ready to do everything it could to help investigate an attack in New York in which an Uzbek-born man is suspected of killing eight people by mowing them down in a truck.</p>

<p>Uzbekistan spoke out after a US&nbsp;law enforcement official described the suspect as a US&nbsp;immigrant born in Uzbekistan, a landlocked, predominantly Muslim country in Central Asia that was part of the Soviet Union until its collapse in 1991</p>

<p>Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev made the offer of help in a letter of condolence to Trump in which he condemned the attack as &quot;extremely brutal&quot; and said there could be no justification for such violence.</p>

<p>&quot;From our side, we are ready to use all our power and resources to cooperate in the investigation of this terrorist act,&quot; Mirziyoyev wrote in the letter, which was posted on his country&#39;s Foreign Ministry&#39;s website.</p>

<p>&quot;We express our solidarity with the US&nbsp;people.&quot;</p>

<p>The attack - the bloodiest single attack on New Yorkers since Sept. 11, 2001, when suicide hijackers crashed two jetliners into the World Trade Center-&nbsp;is a challenge for Mirziyoyev who assumed office at the end of 2016 and is trying to slowly open up his country after decades of authoritarian rule.</p>

<p>It also shines an uncomfortable light on Islamist militancy in the wider region which has supplied Islamic State in Syria and Iraq with thousands of fighters.</p>

<p>An Uzbek Foreign Ministry official told reporters earlier on Wednesday it was investigating reports that the attacker was a citizen of the Central Asian nation.</p>

<p>If the attacker&#39;s identity is confirmed, it would be the fourth deadly attack to be carried out by an Uzbek national or ethnic Uzbek this year.</p>

<p>On New Year&#39;s day, an Uzbek gunman burst into a nightclub in the Turkish city of Istanbul and killed 39 people.</p>

<p>In April, an ethnic Uzbek man born in Kyrgyzstan blew up a metro train in the Russian city of St Petersburg, killing at least 14 people, and that same month an Uzbek man rammed a truck into a crowd in Stockholm, killing four people.</p>

<p>All the attacks were linked to or claimed by Islamic State.</p>

<p><strong>&quot;NOT VERY POPULAR&quot;</strong></p>

<p>US&nbsp;police declined to publicly identify the man, but a source familiar with the investigation said his name was Sayfullo Saipov, 29.</p>

<p>CNN and other US media said Saipov had left a note saying he carried out the attack in the name of Islamic State and that he had shouted &quot;Allahu Akbar&quot; - Arabic for &quot;God is greatest&quot; - when he jumped out of his truck.</p>

<p>He had emigrated to the United States in 2010 and lived in Florida, other US&nbsp;media reported.</p>

<p>An acquaintance of Saipov told Reuters he had originally come from Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.</p>

<p>Mirrakhmat Muminov, a truck driver and Uzbek community activist who lives in Stow, Ohio, told sources by phone that he knew Saipov and had spoken to him in recent months.</p>

<p>He said Saipov had lived in Stow two or three years ago, that they had met through the local Uzbek community, and that Saipov had also worked there as a truck driver.</p>

<p>Muminov said he had heard about the attack from members of the local Uzbek community, some of whom he said were getting ready to be questioned by the authorities.</p>

<p>He said he had no first-hand information about whether Saipov had carried out the attack.</p>

<p>&ldquo;He was spontaneously religious,&quot; said Muminov. &quot;He started studying religion in the United States,&quot; something he said it was hard to do in Uzbekistan where study of Islam is tightly controlled.</p>

<p>Muminov painted a picture of a man who was struggling to make it in the United States, had few friends, and poor communication and English language skills.</p>

<p>&quot;He was withdrawn, nervous, sometimes aggressive. Because of that he was lonely, he lived in his own world. He was not very popular,&rdquo; said Muminov.</p>

<p>&quot;I heard that his third son was born a couple months ago.&rdquo;</p>


Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev made the offer of help in a letter of condolence to Trump.

Uzbekistan told US President Donald Trump on Wednesday it was ready to do everything it could to help investigate an attack in New York in which an Uzbek-born man is suspected of killing eight people by mowing them down in a truck. Uzbekistan spoke out after a US law enforcement official described the suspect as a US immigrant born in Uzbekistan, a landlocked, predominantly Muslim country in Central Asia that was part of the Soviet Union until its collapse in 1991 Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev made the offer of help in a letter of condolence to Trump in which he condemned the attack as "extremely brutal" and said there could be no justification for such violence. "From our side, we are ready to use all our power and resources to cooperate in the investigation of this terrorist act," Mirziyoyev wrote in the letter, which was posted on his country's Foreign Ministry's website. "We express our solidarity with the US people." The attack - the bloodiest single attack on New Yorkers since Sept. 11, 2001, when suicide hijackers crashed two jetliners into the World Trade Center- is a challenge for Mirziyoyev who assumed office at the end of 2016 and is trying to slowly open up his country after decades of authoritarian rule. It also shines an uncomfortable light on Islamist militancy in the wider region which has supplied Islamic State in Syria and Iraq with thousands of fighters. An Uzbek Foreign Ministry official told reporters earlier on Wednesday it was investigating reports that the attacker was a citizen of the Central Asian nation. If the attacker's identity is confirmed, it would be the fourth deadly attack to be carried out by an Uzbek national or ethnic Uzbek this year. On New Year's day, an Uzbek gunman burst into a nightclub in the Turkish city of Istanbul and killed 39 people. In April, an ethnic Uzbek man born in Kyrgyzstan blew up a metro train in the Russian city of St Petersburg, killing at least 14 people, and that same month an Uzbek man rammed a truck into a crowd in Stockholm, killing four people. All the attacks were linked to or claimed by Islamic State. "NOT VERY POPULAR" US police declined to publicly identify the man, but a source familiar with the investigation said his name was Sayfullo Saipov, 29. CNN and other US media said Saipov had left a note saying he carried out the attack in the name of Islamic State and that he had shouted "Allahu Akbar" - Arabic for "God is greatest" - when he jumped out of his truck. He had emigrated to the United States in 2010 and lived in Florida, other US media reported. An acquaintance of Saipov told Reuters he had originally come from Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. Mirrakhmat Muminov, a truck driver and Uzbek community activist who lives in Stow, Ohio, told sources by phone that he knew Saipov and had spoken to him in recent months. He said Saipov had lived in Stow two or three years ago, that they had met through the local Uzbek community, and that Saipov had also worked there as a truck driver. Muminov said he had heard about the attack from members of the local Uzbek community, some of whom he said were getting ready to be questioned by the authorities. He said he had no first-hand information about whether Saipov had carried out the attack. “He was spontaneously religious," said Muminov. "He started studying religion in the United States," something he said it was hard to do in Uzbekistan where study of Islam is tightly controlled. Muminov painted a picture of a man who was struggling to make it in the United States, had few friends, and poor communication and English language skills. "He was withdrawn, nervous, sometimes aggressive. Because of that he was lonely, he lived in his own world. He was not very popular,” said Muminov. "I heard that his third son was born a couple months ago.”

Uzbekistan tells Trump it is ready to help investigate New York attack

<p>Facebook has assured to double its cybersecurity staff by the end of 2018.</p>

<p>The <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/google-facebook-twitter-asked-to-testify-in-russia-probe-20770" target="_blank">social media giant</a> testified before US senators that the&nbsp;company will expand its security staff to 20,000 including contract workers.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The company had over 20,000 employees by the end of June.</p>

<p>Facebook&#39;s assurance has come after US&nbsp;senators sought to include tech lawyers to investigate about Russian meddling in the 2016&nbsp;presidential election.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The US senators questioned the social media giant Facebook, Google and Twitter about Russia&#39;s alleged&nbsp;interference in the 2016 presidential election.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Facebook lawyer Colin Stretch also said that the new employees will keep a track on extremists on the site.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For the first time, ever tech executives appeared publicly before US lawmakers on Russia matter.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Till now the US technology sector was experiencing light advertisement regulations.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>&nbsp;</p>


Facebook's assurance has come after US?senators sought to include tech lawyers to investigate about Russian meddling in the 2016?presidential election

Facebook has assured to double its cybersecurity staff by the end of 2018. The social media giant testified before US senators that the company will expand its security staff to 20,000 including contract workers. The company had over 20,000 employees by the end of June. Facebook's assurance has come after US senators sought to include tech lawyers to investigate about Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. The US senators questioned the social media giant Facebook, Google and Twitter about Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election. Facebook lawyer Colin Stretch also said that the new employees will keep a track on extremists on the site. For the first time, ever tech executives appeared publicly before US lawmakers on Russia matter. Till now the US technology sector was experiencing light advertisement regulations.

Facebook to expand Cybersecurity staff by 2018

<p>A man driving a rented pickup truck mowed down pedestrians and cyclists on a bike path alongside the Hudson River in New York City on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring about a dozen in what authorities said was an <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/world-leaders-condemn-new-york-terrorist-attack-23260">act of terrorism</a>.</p>

<p>The <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/police-release-mugshot-of-suspect-in-new-york-truck-attack-23264">29-year-old suspect</a> was shot in the abdomen by police and arrested after he crashed the truck into a school bus and fled his vehicle, authorities said. A US law enforcement source told Reuters the suspect is an Uzbekistan-born immigrant.</p>

<p>CNN and The New York Times, each citing law enforcement sources, reported that investigators found a note left by the suspect claiming he carried out the attack in the name of the Islamic State militant group.</p>

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<p>Five of the dead were Argentine citizens, visiting New York as part of a group of friends celebrating the 30th anniversary of their high school graduation, the Argentina Foreign Ministry said. A sixth member of the group was among those hospitalized after the attack, the ministry said in a statement.</p>

<p>The incident marked the greatest loss of life from a suspected terrorist attack in New York since suicide hijackers crashed jetliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan on September&nbsp;11, 2001, killing more than 2,600 people.</p>

<p>Tuesday&#39;s assault, on the far west side of lower Manhattan a few blocks from the site of the World Trade Center, was reminiscent of several deadly vehicle attacks in Europe during the past 15 months.</p>

<p>&quot;This was an act of terror, and a particularly cowardly act of terror, aimed at innocent civilians, aimed at people going about their lives who had no idea what was about to hit them,&quot; Mayor Bill de Blasio told a news conference.</p>

<p>A representative of the US&nbsp;Department of Homeland Security similarly called the incident an &quot;apparent act of terrorism.&quot;</p>

<p>Governor Andrew Cuomo said the suspect appeared to have acted alone.</p>

<p>&quot;There&#39;s no evidence to suggest a wider plot or a wider scheme. These are the actions of one individual meant to cause pain and harm and probably death,&quot; Cuomo told the same news conference.</p>

<p>Asked later in a CNN interview whether the suspect had been known to authorities before the attack, Cuomo replied: &quot;It&#39;s too early to give you a definitive answer.&quot;</p>

<p><strong>JOINT TASK FORCE</strong></p>

<p>New York City Police Commissioner James O&#39;Neill declined to publicly identify the driver. However, a source familiar with the investigation told Reuters the driver&#39;s name was Sayfullo Saipov.</p>

<p>CNN and NBC News reported that he entered the United States in 2010.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Multiple media outlets, including CNN, cited police officials as saying that the suspect shouted &quot;Allahu Akbar&quot; - Arabic for &quot;God is greatest&quot; - when he jumped out of his truck.</p>

<p>O&#39;Neill would only say when asked at the news conference that an unspecified comment by the suspect when he exited his truck, and the general circumstances of the assault, led investigators to label the incident a &quot;terrorist event.&quot;</p>

<p>The Federal Bureau of Investigation joined the New York City Police Department and other agencies in a Joint Terrorism Task Force to conduct a probe of the attack, the FBI said in a statement.</p>

<p>ABC News reported that Saipov lived in Tampa, Florida. A check of court records related to a traffic citation that Saipov received in eastern Pennsylvania in 2015 showed he listed addresses then in Paterson, New Jersey, and Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.</p>

<p>The suspect drove onto the bike path in lower Manhattan at 3:05 pm&nbsp;(1905 GMT) and sped south for about 20 city blocks, running down pedestrians and bicyclists along the way before slamming into the side of the school bus. Two children and two adults were injured in that collision, O&#39;Neill said.</p>

<p>The man then climbed out of this truck with what appeared to be a handgun. Police later recovered a paint-ball gun and a pellet gun from the scene, authorities said.</p>

<p>O&#39;Neill said the pickup truck driven by the suspect had been rented from the Home Depot hardware chain, but declined to say where it was rented.</p>

<p><strong>MANGLED BICYCLES</strong></p>

<p>Mangled and flattened bicycles littered the sunlit bike path, which runs parallel to the West Side Highway along the Hudson River, after the attack.</p>

<p>Of the eight people killed, six were pronounced dead at the scene and two more were pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, O&#39;Neill said.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said 11 survivors with serious but non-life-threatening injuries were taken to hospitals.</p>

<p>Despite the attack, thousands of costumed Halloween revelers turned out hours later for New York City&#39;s main Halloween parade, which went on as scheduled Tuesday night with a heightened police presence just a few blocks from the scene of the carnage.</p>

<p>US&nbsp;President Donald Trump was briefed on the incident, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.</p>

<p>Trump, who has pressed for a ban on travelers entering the United States from some predominantly Muslim countries, said on Twitter he had ordered Homeland Security officials to &quot;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/new-york-terror-attack-donald-trump-orders-stepped-up-extreme-vetting-23259">step up our already Extreme Vetting Program</a>. Being politically correct is fine, but not for this!&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We must not allow ISIS to return, or enter, our country after defeating them in the Middle East and elsewhere. Enough!</p>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/925490503218589696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The president later said in an official White House statement: &quot;Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of today`s terrorist attack in New York City and their families.&quot; He also paid tribute to the &quot;first responders who stopped the suspect and rendered immediate aid to the victims.&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Our first responders once again ran towards danger. New York City thanks them. <a href="https://t.co/IrJWveDBfP">pic.twitter.com/IrJWveDBfP</a></p>
&mdash; Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/925514583292416001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Similar attacks in Europe last year killed scores of people.</p>

<p>On July 14, 2016, a suspect drove a large truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the French city of Nice, killing 86 people and injuring hundreds more in an attack for which Islamic State claimed responsibility.</p>

<p>Five months later a Tunisian asylum seeker, who had pledged allegiance to Islamic State, plowed a truck into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring 48.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A driver rammed his van into crowds in the heart of Barcelona on Aug. 17 this year, killing 13 people, in an attack authorities said was carried out by suspected Islamist militants.</p>

<p>The five Argentine citizens killed in Tuesday&#39;s attack were identified by their home government as Hern&aacute;n Diego Mendoza, Diego Enrique Angelini, Alejandro Dami&aacute;n Pagnucco, Ariel Erlij and Hern&aacute;n Ferruchi, all from the city of Rosario. Their ages were not given.</p>


The 29-year-old suspect was shot in the abdomen by police and arrested after he crashed the truck into a school bus and fled his vehicle.

A man driving a rented pickup truck mowed down pedestrians and cyclists on a bike path alongside the Hudson River in New York City on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring about a dozen in what authorities said was an act of terrorism. The 29-year-old suspect was shot in the abdomen by police and arrested after he crashed the truck into a school bus and fled his vehicle, authorities said. A US law enforcement source told Reuters the suspect is an Uzbekistan-born immigrant. CNN and The New York Times, each citing law enforcement sources, reported that investigators found a note left by the suspect claiming he carried out the attack in the name of the Islamic State militant group. × Five of the dead were Argentine citizens, visiting New York as part of a group of friends celebrating the 30th anniversary of their high school graduation, the Argentina Foreign Ministry said. A sixth member of the group was among those hospitalized after the attack, the ministry said in a statement. The incident marked the greatest loss of life from a suspected terrorist attack in New York since suicide hijackers crashed jetliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001, killing more than 2,600 people. Tuesday's assault, on the far west side of lower Manhattan a few blocks from the site of the World Trade Center, was reminiscent of several deadly vehicle attacks in Europe during the past 15 months. "This was an act of terror, and a particularly cowardly act of terror, aimed at innocent civilians, aimed at people going about their lives who had no idea what was about to hit them," Mayor Bill de Blasio told a news conference. A representative of the US Department of Homeland Security similarly called the incident an "apparent act of terrorism." Governor Andrew Cuomo said the suspect appeared to have acted alone. "There's no evidence to suggest a wider plot or a wider scheme. These are the actions of one individual meant to cause pain and harm and probably death," Cuomo told the same news conference. Asked later in a CNN interview whether the suspect had been known to authorities before the attack, Cuomo replied: "It's too early to give you a definitive answer." JOINT TASK FORCE New York City Police Commissioner James O'Neill declined to publicly identify the driver. However, a source familiar with the investigation told Reuters the driver's name was Sayfullo Saipov. CNN and NBC News reported that he entered the United States in 2010. Multiple media outlets, including CNN, cited police officials as saying that the suspect shouted "Allahu Akbar" - Arabic for "God is greatest" - when he jumped out of his truck. O'Neill would only say when asked at the news conference that an unspecified comment by the suspect when he exited his truck, and the general circumstances of the assault, led investigators to label the incident a "terrorist event." The Federal Bureau of Investigation joined the New York City Police Department and other agencies in a Joint Terrorism Task Force to conduct a probe of the attack, the FBI said in a statement. ABC News reported that Saipov lived in Tampa, Florida. A check of court records related to a traffic citation that Saipov received in eastern Pennsylvania in 2015 showed he listed addresses then in Paterson, New Jersey, and Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The suspect drove onto the bike path in lower Manhattan at 3:05 pm (1905 GMT) and sped south for about 20 city blocks, running down pedestrians and bicyclists along the way before slamming into the side of the school bus. Two children and two adults were injured in that collision, O'Neill said. The man then climbed out of this truck with what appeared to be a handgun. Police later recovered a paint-ball gun and a pellet gun from the scene, authorities said. O'Neill said the pickup truck driven by the suspect had been rented from the Home Depot hardware chain, but declined to say where it was rented. MANGLED BICYCLES Mangled and flattened bicycles littered the sunlit bike path, which runs parallel to the West Side Highway along the Hudson River, after the attack. Of the eight people killed, six were pronounced dead at the scene and two more were pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, O'Neill said. Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said 11 survivors with serious but non-life-threatening injuries were taken to hospitals. Despite the attack, thousands of costumed Halloween revelers turned out hours later for New York City's main Halloween parade, which went on as scheduled Tuesday night with a heightened police presence just a few blocks from the scene of the carnage. US President Donald Trump was briefed on the incident, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said. Trump, who has pressed for a ban on travelers entering the United States from some predominantly Muslim countries, said on Twitter he had ordered Homeland Security officials to "step up our already Extreme Vetting Program. Being politically correct is fine, but not for this!" We must not allow ISIS to return, or enter, our country after defeating them in the Middle East and elsewhere. Enough! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2017 × The president later said in an official White House statement: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of today`s terrorist attack in New York City and their families." He also paid tribute to the "first responders who stopped the suspect and rendered immediate aid to the victims." Our first responders once again ran towards danger. New York City thanks them. pic.twitter.com/IrJWveDBfP — Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) November 1, 2017 × Similar attacks in Europe last year killed scores of people. On July 14, 2016, a suspect drove a large truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the French city of Nice, killing 86 people and injuring hundreds more in an attack for which Islamic State claimed responsibility. Five months later a Tunisian asylum seeker, who had pledged allegiance to Islamic State, plowed a truck into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring 48. A driver rammed his van into crowds in the heart of Barcelona on Aug. 17 this year, killing 13 people, in an attack authorities said was carried out by suspected Islamist militants. The five Argentine citizens killed in Tuesday's attack were identified by their home government as Hernán Diego Mendoza, Diego Enrique Angelini, Alejandro Damián Pagnucco, Ariel Erlij and Hernán Ferruchi, all from the city of Rosario. Their ages were not given.

Truck kills 8 on New York bike path in US' deadliest attack since 9/11

<p>Political turmoil roils across the United States as the ultra-right ascends to power, symbolised by Donald Trump. The most dynamic and innovative opposition to the ultra-right has been led by the Reverend William J. Barber II, longtime pastor of the Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, North Carolina.</p>

<p>The ultra-right began its ascent in North Carolina when the Republicans took control of the State Legislature in 2011. They then redistricted the state in such a way as to guarantee them a legislative majority regardless of the votes, so that the next year, 2012, they won 9 of the 13 seats up for reelection even though Democrats won 51 per cent of the votes.</p>

<p>That strategy gave them control of both houses of the Legislature and the governor&rsquo;s office, which allowed them to implement a radical right-wing agenda: cut taxes on the rich, raising taxes on the middle class, and cutting social programs.</p>

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<p>Author Jeffrey Bortz with Reverend William J. Barber (Others)</p>
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<p>To make the rich richer, they eliminated the state&rsquo;s three-tier progressive income tax, substituting instead a flat-tax in which the poor pay the same rate as the state&rsquo;s wealthiest citizens. Furthermore, they eliminated the estate tax, which applied only to the wealthy. To pay for the tax cuts, they blocked Medic-aid expansion, leaving 500,000 North Carolinians without health care.</p>

<p>They cut unemployment benefits, which were already meagre, to begin with, and slashed spending on public education, including the university system. They also eliminated many environmental protections. Then to prevent being thrown out of the office, they implemented voter suppression, reducing the number of early voting days, eliminating same-day voter registration and requiring an ID to vote, measures designed to reduce the electoral participation of students, the poor, and minorities, particularly African Americans.</p>

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<p>Barber, President of North Carolina chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 2005, was outraged at the assault on the poor, on African Americans, on the middle class, and particularly at the restrictions to democracy. Measured against the many Biblical injunctions to help the poor and the powerless - James 2:15-16, &quot;Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don&rsquo;t have enough to eat. What good is there in your saying to them, &quot;God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!&quot; &ndash; if you don&rsquo;t give them the necessities of life?&rdquo;</p>

<p>He believed that the Republican legislature was dragging North Carolina down an immoral path, and so he launched a moral crusade. On Monday, April 29, 2013, he led a protest at the State Legislature, which continued the following Mondays. It was his insight that protesters, to be effective, had to be willing to confront immoral laws with a moral challenge to the law, so that they occupied the Legislative building, where they were arrested, including the Rev Barber.</p>

<p>By the end of the summer, more than 900 Moral Mondayers had been arrested, the Rev Barber repeatedly. As Barber said, &quot;Some issues are not about left and right, Republican and Democrat &ndash; they&rsquo;re about our deepest moral values&quot;. Following through summer after summer, the 2017 Moral Monday gathering at the State Capitol assembled 80,000 protesters.</p>

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<h5>The state cutbacks to the university budget were hurting students, faculty, university employees, and the quality of public education.</h5>
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<p>Teaching at Appalachian State University in the mountainous far northwestern corner of North Carolina, I was well aware of how state cutbacks to the university budget were hurting students, faculty, university employees, and the quality of public education, so when I heard of the Moral Monday protests in the summer of 2013, I was intrigued. With some friends, we trekked the 200 miles from Boone, NC, to Raleigh, the state capital, where we participated in that Monday&rsquo;s protest.</p>

<p>As usual, before the occupation of the legislative building, Barber gave a speech to the assembled crowd, and as I listened, I realised that he is really quite brilliant, as well as courageous and passionate. We were more than impressed.</p>

<p>So the five of us - Greg, Sheila, Nancy and Tim - decided to bring Barber to campus to talk to the university community, an invitation he graciously accepted. He came In October and presented a spellbinding moral criticism of the Legislature, along with a moral vision for a better North Carolina.</p>

<p>I had an opportunity to have dinner with him during the visit and I was just as impressed by him as a person as well as I was by his leadership. Highly educated and intelligent, he was authentic, unassuming, natural, and down-to-earth, and with a keen sense of humour.</p>

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<p>This is a man truly committed to his mission to elevate the poor. His talk was a great success, so we had him back to campus three years later, along with a Republican speaker, so that students could compare both visions of society. Once again, Barber gave an awesome presentation. This year the U.S. Supreme Court gave Barber a major victory, ratifying lower court decisions that ruled that the Republican Legislature had racially gerrymandered voting districts in such a way as to deprive African Americans of fair and Constitutional representation, the original source of his Moral Monday protests. The courts ordered new redistricting.</p>

<p>This year, Barber has decided to take his moral message to the rest of the country. He resigned his post as President of the North Carolina NAACP and has founded the Poor People&rsquo;s Campaign, following Martin Luther King&rsquo;s last major initiative just before his assassination in April 1968. That year, King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, itself an organisation that grew out of the 1955 Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott against racial segregation, planned a campaign to address economic injustice and to assemble &quot;a multiracial army of the poor,&quot; though King was murdered before it could take effect.</p>

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<h5>The goal is to establish chapters around the country who will engage in civil disobedience, as in Moral Monday, in order to bring about a &quot;moral revival across the United States&quot;.</h5>
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<p>Today Barber co-chairs the new organisation with the Rev Dr Liz Theoharis, a pastor from New York City. Their goal is to establish chapters around the country who will engage in civil disobedience, as in Moral Monday, in order to bring about a &quot;moral revival across the United States&quot;. Barber and Theoharis have already been to the Rio Grande in El Paso to share their goals with the undocumented families of the Texas-Mexico borderlands.</p>

<p>As in North Carolina, Barber is committed to bringing justice to those whom American society has left behind, to stand and march with them until America shares its wealth with the poor and the outcasts, much as Jesus shared his message of hope with the poor and outcasts of his time. That is the moral renewal that Barber sought and seeks.<br />
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Barber is committed to bringing justice to those whom American society has left behind, to stand and march with them until America shares its wealth with the poor and the outcasts, much as Jesus did.

Political turmoil roils across the United States as the ultra-right ascends to power, symbolised by Donald Trump. The most dynamic and innovative opposition to the ultra-right has been led by the Reverend William J. Barber II, longtime pastor of the Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The ultra-right began its ascent in North Carolina when the Republicans took control of the State Legislature in 2011. They then redistricted the state in such a way as to guarantee them a legislative majority regardless of the votes, so that the next year, 2012, they won 9 of the 13 seats up for reelection even though Democrats won 51 per cent of the votes. That strategy gave them control of both houses of the Legislature and the governor’s office, which allowed them to implement a radical right-wing agenda: cut taxes on the rich, raising taxes on the middle class, and cutting social programs. Author Jeffrey Bortz with Reverend William J. Barber (Others) × To make the rich richer, they eliminated the state’s three-tier progressive income tax, substituting instead a flat-tax in which the poor pay the same rate as the state’s wealthiest citizens. Furthermore, they eliminated the estate tax, which applied only to the wealthy. To pay for the tax cuts, they blocked Medic-aid expansion, leaving 500,000 North Carolinians without health care. They cut unemployment benefits, which were already meagre, to begin with, and slashed spending on public education, including the university system. They also eliminated many environmental protections. Then to prevent being thrown out of the office, they implemented voter suppression, reducing the number of early voting days, eliminating same-day voter registration and requiring an ID to vote, measures designed to reduce the electoral participation of students, the poor, and minorities, particularly African Americans. Rev Barber believed that the Republican legislature was dragging North Carolina down an immoral path, and so he launched a moral crusade. × Barber, President of North Carolina chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 2005, was outraged at the assault on the poor, on African Americans, on the middle class, and particularly at the restrictions to democracy. Measured against the many Biblical injunctions to help the poor and the powerless - James 2:15-16, "Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don’t have enough to eat. What good is there in your saying to them, "God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!" – if you don’t give them the necessities of life?” He believed that the Republican legislature was dragging North Carolina down an immoral path, and so he launched a moral crusade. On Monday, April 29, 2013, he led a protest at the State Legislature, which continued the following Mondays. It was his insight that protesters, to be effective, had to be willing to confront immoral laws with a moral challenge to the law, so that they occupied the Legislative building, where they were arrested, including the Rev Barber. By the end of the summer, more than 900 Moral Mondayers had been arrested, the Rev Barber repeatedly. As Barber said, "Some issues are not about left and right, Republican and Democrat – they’re about our deepest moral values". Following through summer after summer, the 2017 Moral Monday gathering at the State Capitol assembled 80,000 protesters. The state cutbacks to the university budget were hurting students, faculty, university employees, and the quality of public education. × Teaching at Appalachian State University in the mountainous far northwestern corner of North Carolina, I was well aware of how state cutbacks to the university budget were hurting students, faculty, university employees, and the quality of public education, so when I heard of the Moral Monday protests in the summer of 2013, I was intrigued. With some friends, we trekked the 200 miles from Boone, NC, to Raleigh, the state capital, where we participated in that Monday’s protest. As usual, before the occupation of the legislative building, Barber gave a speech to the assembled crowd, and as I listened, I realised that he is really quite brilliant, as well as courageous and passionate. We were more than impressed. So the five of us - Greg, Sheila, Nancy and Tim - decided to bring Barber to campus to talk to the university community, an invitation he graciously accepted. He came In October and presented a spellbinding moral criticism of the Legislature, along with a moral vision for a better North Carolina. I had an opportunity to have dinner with him during the visit and I was just as impressed by him as a person as well as I was by his leadership. Highly educated and intelligent, he was authentic, unassuming, natural, and down-to-earth, and with a keen sense of humour. Rev Barber resigned his post as President of the North Carolina NAACP and has founded the Poor People’s Campaign, following Martin Luther King’s. × This is a man truly committed to his mission to elevate the poor. His talk was a great success, so we had him back to campus three years later, along with a Republican speaker, so that students could compare both visions of society. Once again, Barber gave an awesome presentation. This year the U.S. Supreme Court gave Barber a major victory, ratifying lower court decisions that ruled that the Republican Legislature had racially gerrymandered voting districts in such a way as to deprive African Americans of fair and Constitutional representation, the original source of his Moral Monday protests. The courts ordered new redistricting. This year, Barber has decided to take his moral message to the rest of the country. He resigned his post as President of the North Carolina NAACP and has founded the Poor People’s Campaign, following Martin Luther King’s last major initiative just before his assassination in April 1968. That year, King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, itself an organisation that grew out of the 1955 Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott against racial segregation, planned a campaign to address economic injustice and to assemble "a multiracial army of the poor," though King was murdered before it could take effect. The goal is to establish chapters around the country who will engage in civil disobedience, as in Moral Monday, in order to bring about a "moral revival across the United States". × Today Barber co-chairs the new organisation with the Rev Dr Liz Theoharis, a pastor from New York City. Their goal is to establish chapters around the country who will engage in civil disobedience, as in Moral Monday, in order to bring about a "moral revival across the United States". Barber and Theoharis have already been to the Rio Grande in El Paso to share their goals with the undocumented families of the Texas-Mexico borderlands. As in North Carolina, Barber is committed to bringing justice to those whom American society has left behind, to stand and march with them until America shares its wealth with the poor and the outcasts, much as Jesus shared his message of hope with the poor and outcasts of his time. That is the moral renewal that Barber sought and seeks.

Rev Barber leads a moral crusade for justice in the US

<p>Japan&#39;s Shinzo Abe was re-elected prime minister on Wednesday after his ruling bloc&#39;s big election win last month and days ahead of a visit by US&nbsp;President Donald Trump that is expected to be dominated by concerns over a volatile North Korea.</p>

<p>Abe, 63, took office in December 2012, promising to reboot the stale economy and bolster defence.</p>

<p>His Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition retained its two-thirds &#39;super majority&#39;&nbsp;in parliament&#39;s lower house in the Oct. 22 election, reenergising his push to revise the post-war, pacifist constitution.</p>

<p>Abe was expected to reappoint current cabinet ministers and tell them to compile an extra budget for the year to March 31, 2018 focusing on child care and boosting productivity.</p>

<p>In a telephone conversation on Monday, Abe and Trump agreed to work together on steps to counter Pyongyang&#39;s nuclear and missile development.</p>

<p>Trump told Abe &#39;He is looking forward to his visit to Japan, that Japan and America are 100 percent together and there is no room to doubt the Japan-U.S. alliance.&#39;&nbsp;Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters.</p>

<p>The two leaders have developed a close personal relationship since Trump was elected, and plan to play golf together during Trump&#39;s Nov. 5-7 visit to Japan.<br />
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Abe, 63, took office in December 2012, promising to reboot the stale economy and bolster defence.

Japan's Shinzo Abe was re-elected prime minister on Wednesday after his ruling bloc's big election win last month and days ahead of a visit by US President Donald Trump that is expected to be dominated by concerns over a volatile North Korea. Abe, 63, took office in December 2012, promising to reboot the stale economy and bolster defence. His Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition retained its two-thirds 'super majority' in parliament's lower house in the Oct. 22 election, reenergising his push to revise the post-war, pacifist constitution. Abe was expected to reappoint current cabinet ministers and tell them to compile an extra budget for the year to March 31, 2018 focusing on child care and boosting productivity. In a telephone conversation on Monday, Abe and Trump agreed to work together on steps to counter Pyongyang's nuclear and missile development. Trump told Abe 'He is looking forward to his visit to Japan, that Japan and America are 100 percent together and there is no room to doubt the Japan-U.S. alliance.' Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters. The two leaders have developed a close personal relationship since Trump was elected, and plan to play golf together during Trump's Nov. 5-7 visit to Japan.

Shinzo Abe re-elected prime minister of Japan after big election win

<p>North Korea slammed US President Donald Trump as &quot;incurably mentally deranged&quot; in a personal diatribe ahead of his first visit to Asia as head of state, amid high tensions over Pyongyang&#39;s nuclear ambitions.</p>

<p>Trump and the North&#39;s leader Kim Jong-Un have traded threats of war and personal insults against each other in recent months, heightening worries about a potential conflict on the divided Korean peninsula.</p>

<p>Trump has warned of &quot;fire and fury&quot; and &quot;calm before the storm&quot;, telling the UN General Assembly that Washington would &quot;totally destroy North Korea&quot; if it had to defend itself or its allies.</p>

<p>He dubbed Kim &quot;Rocket Man&quot; in the same speech -&nbsp;Pyongyang has tested missiles apparently capable of reaching much of the US mainland -&nbsp;and days later Kim responded with a personal statement calling Trump a &quot;dotard&quot;, an obscure term for a weak or senile old man.</p>

<p>The US president is due in Asia at the weekend and ahead of his arrival the North&#39;s state-run KCNA news agency lashed out at &quot;bellicose and irresponsible rhetoric&quot; by the &quot;master of invective&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;He absolutely needs medicine for curing his psychical disorder,&quot; it said.</p>

<p>The US has deployed key military assets including jet fighters and aircraft carriers near the peninsula following the North&#39;s sixth nuclear test in September, which also saw the United Nations impose an eighth set of sanctions on the isolated country.</p>

<p>KCNA described the sanctions drive as &quot;desperate efforts&quot; that would prove ineffective and Trump&#39;s hostile rhetoric as &quot;hysteric spasmodic symptoms&quot;.</p>

<p>Trump, it said late yesterday, &quot;disclosed his true nature as a nuclear war maniac before the world and was diagnosed as &#39;incurably mentally deranged&#39;&quot;.</p>

<p>Trump&#39;s itinerary includes Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines, with all eyes on his message to the North and Kim.</p>

<p>Pyongyang says it needs nuclear weapons to defend itself against possible invasion by the US.</p>

<p>During a November 7-8 visit to the South -&nbsp;a security ally of Washington that hosts 28,500 US troops - Trump is due to address Seoul&#39;s parliament and visit a US military base, although he will not go to the Demilitarised Zone that divides the Koreas.</p>


Trump and the North's leader Kim Jong-Un have traded threats of war and personal insults against each other in recent months, heightening worries about a potential conflict on the divided Korean peninsula.

North Korea slammed US President Donald Trump as "incurably mentally deranged" in a personal diatribe ahead of his first visit to Asia as head of state, amid high tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. Trump and the North's leader Kim Jong-Un have traded threats of war and personal insults against each other in recent months, heightening worries about a potential conflict on the divided Korean peninsula. Trump has warned of "fire and fury" and "calm before the storm", telling the UN General Assembly that Washington would "totally destroy North Korea" if it had to defend itself or its allies. He dubbed Kim "Rocket Man" in the same speech - Pyongyang has tested missiles apparently capable of reaching much of the US mainland - and days later Kim responded with a personal statement calling Trump a "dotard", an obscure term for a weak or senile old man. The US president is due in Asia at the weekend and ahead of his arrival the North's state-run KCNA news agency lashed out at "bellicose and irresponsible rhetoric" by the "master of invective". "He absolutely needs medicine for curing his psychical disorder," it said. The US has deployed key military assets including jet fighters and aircraft carriers near the peninsula following the North's sixth nuclear test in September, which also saw the United Nations impose an eighth set of sanctions on the isolated country. KCNA described the sanctions drive as "desperate efforts" that would prove ineffective and Trump's hostile rhetoric as "hysteric spasmodic symptoms". Trump, it said late yesterday, "disclosed his true nature as a nuclear war maniac before the world and was diagnosed as 'incurably mentally deranged'". Trump's itinerary includes Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines, with all eyes on his message to the North and Kim. Pyongyang says it needs nuclear weapons to defend itself against possible invasion by the US. During a November 7-8 visit to the South - a security ally of Washington that hosts 28,500 US troops - Trump is due to address Seoul's parliament and visit a US military base, although he will not go to the Demilitarised Zone that divides the Koreas.

North Korea slams 'incurably mentally deranged' Trump

<p>US President Donald Trump said on Twitter he had ordered the Department of Homeland Security to step up its &quot;extreme vetting program&quot; following a vehicle attack in New York.</p>

<p>&quot;I have just ordered Homeland Security to step up our already Extreme Vetting Program. Being politically correct is fine, but not for this!&quot; Trump said, hours after a man driving a pickup truck killed eight people.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I have just ordered Homeland Security to step up our already Extreme Vetting Program. Being politically correct is fine, but not for this!</p>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/925534445393928199?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Trump ran for office in 2016 pledging to crack down on illegal immigration for security reasons, and has called for &quot;extreme vetting&quot; of foreigners entering the United States.</p>


US President Donald Trump said on Twitter he had ordered the Department of Homeland Security to step up its "extreme vetting program" following a vehicle attack in New York.

US President Donald Trump said on Twitter he had ordered the Department of Homeland Security to step up its "extreme vetting program" following a vehicle attack in New York. "I have just ordered Homeland Security to step up our already Extreme Vetting Program. Being politically correct is fine, but not for this!" Trump said, hours after a man driving a pickup truck killed eight people. I have just ordered Homeland Security to step up our already Extreme Vetting Program. Being politically correct is fine, but not for this! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 1, 2017 × Trump ran for office in 2016 pledging to crack down on illegal immigration for security reasons, and has called for "extreme vetting" of foreigners entering the United States.

New York terror attack: Donald Trump orders stepped up 'extreme vetting'

<p>US President Donald Trump has condemned the &quot;terrorist attack&quot; in New York that left <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/eight-dead-in-suspected-terrorist-truck-attack-on-manhattan-bike-path-23254">at least eight people dead</a> and 11 others injured.</p>

<p>&quot;Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of today&#39;s terrorist attack in New York City and their families,&quot; Trump said in a statement after a 29-year-old man, identified as Sayfullo Saipov, plowed a speeding truck through a busy bike path in Lower Manhattan today.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">My thoughts, condolences and prayers to the victims and families of the New York City terrorist attack. God and your country are with you!</p>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/925497025386500096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&quot;My administration will provide its full support to the New York City Police Department, including through a joint investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation,&quot; he said.&nbsp;Saipov, said to be from Uzbekistan, is under police custody. He was arrested after being shot in the stomach by officials of the New York Police Department.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">In NYC, looks like another attack by a very sick and deranged person. Law enforcement is following this closely. NOT IN THE U.S.A.!</p>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/925474979914887168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&quot;We offer our thanks to the first responders who stopped the suspect and rendered immediate aid to the victims of this cowardly attack. These brave men and women embody the true American spirit of resilience and courage.I will continue to follow developments closely,&quot; Trump said.</p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/new-york-terror-attack-my-thoughts-with-families-of-deceased-tweets-pm-modi-23258">Also Read: PM Modi condemns New York terror attack</a></strong></p>

<p>Earlier, the US president took to Twitter to decry the attack, saying &quot;we must not allow ISIS to return&quot;.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I have just ordered Homeland Security to step up our already Extreme Vetting Program. Being politically correct is fine, but not for this!</p>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/925534445393928199?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&quot;In NYC, looks like another attack by a very sick and deranged person. Law enforcement is following this closely. NOT IN THE U.S.A.!&quot; Trump tweeted.</p>

<p>&quot;We must not allow ISIS to return, or enter, our country after defeating them in the Middle East and elsewhere. Enough!&quot; he said in another tweet.&nbsp;</p>


"My administration will provide its full support to the New York City Police Department, including through a joint investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation," Trump said.

US President Donald Trump has condemned the "terrorist attack" in New York that left at least eight people dead and 11 others injured. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of today's terrorist attack in New York City and their families," Trump said in a statement after a 29-year-old man, identified as Sayfullo Saipov, plowed a speeding truck through a busy bike path in Lower Manhattan today. My thoughts, condolences and prayers to the victims and families of the New York City terrorist attack. God and your country are with you! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2017 × "My administration will provide its full support to the New York City Police Department, including through a joint investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation," he said. Saipov, said to be from Uzbekistan, is under police custody. He was arrested after being shot in the stomach by officials of the New York Police Department. In NYC, looks like another attack by a very sick and deranged person. Law enforcement is following this closely. NOT IN THE U.S.A.! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2017 × "We offer our thanks to the first responders who stopped the suspect and rendered immediate aid to the victims of this cowardly attack. These brave men and women embody the true American spirit of resilience and courage.I will continue to follow developments closely," Trump said. Also Read: PM Modi condemns New York terror attack Earlier, the US president took to Twitter to decry the attack, saying "we must not allow ISIS to return". I have just ordered Homeland Security to step up our already Extreme Vetting Program. Being politically correct is fine, but not for this! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 1, 2017 × "In NYC, looks like another attack by a very sick and deranged person. Law enforcement is following this closely. NOT IN THE U.S.A.!" Trump tweeted. "We must not allow ISIS to return, or enter, our country after defeating them in the Middle East and elsewhere. Enough!" he said in another tweet.

Trump condemns New York 'terrorist attack'

<p>US President Donald Trump is expected to announce his choice to lead the Federal Reserve on Thursday, a US official said Monday.</p>

<p>Trump said last week he had &#39;somebody very specific in mind. I think everybody will be very impressed.&#39;</p>

<p>He has not publicly ruled out re-nominating current Fed Chair Janet Yellen to a second four-year term, but US media have reported that Jerome Powell, a current Fed governor, is the likely candidate.</p>

<p>That would mark a change from tradition, as US presidents since the 1970s have always reappointed the central bank chief named by their predecessor as a signal of stability to markets.</p>

<p>But analysts say the decision puts Trump at cross purposes: Yellen has delivered a growing economy with low unemployment and low inflation but her vocal support for tough banking regulations runs counter to the White House position.</p>

<p>Trump has eagerly dismantled signature policies of the Obama administration, making Yellen, an Obama appointee, an enticing target.</p>

<p>Still, while two other known candidates, former Fed governor Kevin Warsh and Stanford Economist John Taylor, have support in some conservative circles, economists say in their hands US monetary policy would now be significantly tighter.</p>

<p>Trump has said he wanted &#39;to see rates stay low.&#39;</p>

<p>Current White House economic advisor Gary Cohn has also interviewed for the position but Trump may be reluctant to lose Cohn during what could be a hard-fought battle for sweeping tax cuts.</p>

<p>Trump also cooled on Cohn after the economist publicly criticized the president for his response to a deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in August.</p>

<p>Powell is the only holdover Republican currently sitting on the Federal Reserve Board and is seen a possible consensus candidate -- amenable to deregulation but unlikely to raise rates as quickly.</p>


Trump said last week he had "somebody very specific in mind. I think everybody will be very impressed."

US President Donald Trump is expected to announce his choice to lead the Federal Reserve on Thursday, a US official said Monday. Trump said last week he had 'somebody very specific in mind. I think everybody will be very impressed.' He has not publicly ruled out re-nominating current Fed Chair Janet Yellen to a second four-year term, but US media have reported that Jerome Powell, a current Fed governor, is the likely candidate. That would mark a change from tradition, as US presidents since the 1970s have always reappointed the central bank chief named by their predecessor as a signal of stability to markets. But analysts say the decision puts Trump at cross purposes: Yellen has delivered a growing economy with low unemployment and low inflation but her vocal support for tough banking regulations runs counter to the White House position. Trump has eagerly dismantled signature policies of the Obama administration, making Yellen, an Obama appointee, an enticing target. Still, while two other known candidates, former Fed governor Kevin Warsh and Stanford Economist John Taylor, have support in some conservative circles, economists say in their hands US monetary policy would now be significantly tighter. Trump has said he wanted 'to see rates stay low.' Current White House economic advisor Gary Cohn has also interviewed for the position but Trump may be reluctant to lose Cohn during what could be a hard-fought battle for sweeping tax cuts. Trump also cooled on Cohn after the economist publicly criticized the president for his response to a deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in August. Powell is the only holdover Republican currently sitting on the Federal Reserve Board and is seen a possible consensus candidate -- amenable to deregulation but unlikely to raise rates as quickly.

Donald Trump to announce his choice to lead Federal reserve on Thursday

<p>Facebook Inc said on Monday that Russia-based operatives published about 80,000 posts on the social network over a two-year period in an effort to sway US politics and that about 126 million Americans may have seen the posts during that time.</p>

<p>Facebook&#39;s latest data on the Russia-linked posts&nbsp;possibly reaching around half of the US&nbsp;population of voting age, far exceeds the company&#39;s previous disclosures. It was included in written testimony provided to US&nbsp;lawmakers, and seen by Reuters, ahead of key hearings with social media and technology companies about Russian meddling in elections on Capitol Hill this week.</p>

<p>Twitter separately has found 2,752 accounts linked to Russian operatives, a source familiar with the company&#39;s written testimony said. That estimate is up from a tally of 201 accounts that Twitter reported in September.</p>

<p>Google, owned by Alphabet Inc, said in a statement on Monday it had found $4,700 in Russia-linked ad spending during the 2016 U.S. election cycle, and that it would build a database of election ads.</p>

<p>Executives from Facebook, Twitter and Google are scheduled to appear before three congressional committees this week on alleged Russian attempts to spread misinformation in the months before and after the 2016 US&nbsp;presidential election.</p>

<p>The Russian government has denied any attempts to sway the election, in which President Donald Trump, a Republican, defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton.</p>

<p>Facebook&#39;s general counsel, Colin Stretch, said in the written testimony that the 80,000 posts from Russia&#39;s Internet Research Agency were a tiny fraction of content on Facebook, equal to one out of 23,000 posts.</p>

<p>However, the posts violated Facebook&#39;s terms of service, and any amount of such activity using fake accounts is too much, Stretch wrote.</p>

<p>&quot;These actions run counter to Facebook&#39;s mission of building community and everything we stand for. And we are determined to do everything we can to address this new threat,&quot; he wrote.</p>

<p>The 80,000 posts were published between June 2015 and August 2017. Most of them focused on divisive social and political messages such as race relations, Facebook said.</p>

<p>Twitter&#39;s revised estimate of how many Russia-linked accounts were on its service comes a month after an influential Democratic senator, Mark Warner, slammed it for what he called an insufficient investigation.</p>

<p>Twitter has suspended all 2,752 accounts that it tracked to Russia&#39;s Internet Research Agency, and it has given US&nbsp;congressional investigators the account names, the source familiar with the company&#39;s testimony said.</p>

<p>&quot;State-sanctioned manipulation of elections by sophisticated foreign actors is a new challenge for us - and one that we are determined to meet,&quot; Twitter said in written testimony, according to the source.</p>


Facebook said Russia-based operatives published about 80,000 posts on the social network over a two-year period in an effort to sway US politics and that about 126 million Americans may have seen the posts during that time.

Facebook Inc said on Monday that Russia-based operatives published about 80,000 posts on the social network over a two-year period in an effort to sway US politics and that about 126 million Americans may have seen the posts during that time. Facebook's latest data on the Russia-linked posts possibly reaching around half of the US population of voting age, far exceeds the company's previous disclosures. It was included in written testimony provided to US lawmakers, and seen by Reuters, ahead of key hearings with social media and technology companies about Russian meddling in elections on Capitol Hill this week. Twitter separately has found 2,752 accounts linked to Russian operatives, a source familiar with the company's written testimony said. That estimate is up from a tally of 201 accounts that Twitter reported in September. Google, owned by Alphabet Inc, said in a statement on Monday it had found $4,700 in Russia-linked ad spending during the 2016 U.S. election cycle, and that it would build a database of election ads. Executives from Facebook, Twitter and Google are scheduled to appear before three congressional committees this week on alleged Russian attempts to spread misinformation in the months before and after the 2016 US presidential election. The Russian government has denied any attempts to sway the election, in which President Donald Trump, a Republican, defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton. Facebook's general counsel, Colin Stretch, said in the written testimony that the 80,000 posts from Russia's Internet Research Agency were a tiny fraction of content on Facebook, equal to one out of 23,000 posts. However, the posts violated Facebook's terms of service, and any amount of such activity using fake accounts is too much, Stretch wrote. "These actions run counter to Facebook's mission of building community and everything we stand for. And we are determined to do everything we can to address this new threat," he wrote. The 80,000 posts were published between June 2015 and August 2017. Most of them focused on divisive social and political messages such as race relations, Facebook said. Twitter's revised estimate of how many Russia-linked accounts were on its service comes a month after an influential Democratic senator, Mark Warner, slammed it for what he called an insufficient investigation. Twitter has suspended all 2,752 accounts that it tracked to Russia's Internet Research Agency, and it has given US congressional investigators the account names, the source familiar with the company's testimony said. "State-sanctioned manipulation of elections by sophisticated foreign actors is a new challenge for us - and one that we are determined to meet," Twitter said in written testimony, according to the source.

Facebook says 126 million Americans may have seen Russia-linked political posts

<p>A federal judge in Washington on Monday blocked President Donald Trump from banning transgender people from serving in the US&nbsp;military, handing a victory to transgender service members who accused the president of violating their constitutional rights.</p>

<p>Trump announced in July that he would ban transgender people from the military in a move that would reverse Democratic former President Barack Obama&#39;s policy of accepting them and halt years of efforts to eliminate barriers to military service based on sexual orientation or gender identity.</p>

<p>The transgender service members sued in August to try to block the ban, which had not yet gone into effect, and US&nbsp;District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly granted them an injunction halting enforcement of it until their case is resolved.</p>

<p>The service members asserted that Trump&#39;s policy violated their rights to due process and equal protection under the law under the US&nbsp;Constitution. Kollar-Kotelly said the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in their claim that the ban was unconstitutional because the administration&#39;s reasons for it &quot;do not appear to be supported by any facts.&quot;</p>

<p>After his policy announcement on Twitter, Trump signed a memorandum in August that directed the military not to accept transgender people as recruits and halted the use of government funds for sex-reassignment surgeries for active-duty personnel unless the process was already underway.</p>

<p>The memo called on Defense Secretary James Mattis to submit a plan to Trump by Feb. 21 on how to implement the changes, and the Pentagon has created a panel of senior officials for that purpose. In the meantime, the current policy of allowing transgender people to serve remains in force.</p>

<p>Mattis in June already had delayed allowing transgender recruits to join the US&nbsp;armed forces on July 1 as previously scheduled.</p>

<p>The judge tossed out the suit&#39;s challenge to the sex-reassignment surgery directive, saying none of the plaintiffs had shown they would be impacted by that prohibition.</p>

<p><strong>&#39;HUGELY IMPORTANT&#39;</strong></p>

<p>&quot;This is a hugely important decision and confirms that transgender people can and should be able to serve in the military if they are qualified to do so,&quot; said the plaintiffs&#39; lead attorney, Jennifer Levi.</p>

<p>&quot;The court saw through the smoke screens that the government tried to throw up to hide what is actually going on here, which is straight-on bias and prejudice against transgender people,&quot; added Levi, director of the transgender rights project for the anti-discrimination group GLBTQ Legal Advocates &amp; Defenders.</p>

<p>The Justice Department said it was disappointed in the ruling and evaluating its next steps. Spokeswoman Lauren Ehrsam said the suit was premature because the &quot;Defense Department is actively reviewing such service requirements, as the president ordered, and because none of the plaintiffs have established that they will be impacted by current policies on military service.&quot;</p>

<p>Trump&#39;s action appealed to his hard-line conservative supporters. The president in February also rescinded protections put in place under Obama for transgender public school students.</p>

<p>The judge&#39;s action marked the latest legal setback suffered by Trump on policies he has pursued as president. Courts also have blocked Trump&#39;s latest version of a travel ban on people from several Muslim-majority countries, and dealt him setbacks on policies on so-called sanctuary cities and environmental rules.</p>

<p>The service members who sued Trump, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and military leaders in August had been serving openly as transgender people in the US&nbsp;Army, Air Force and Coast Guard. They said Trump&#39;s ban discriminated against them based on their sex and transgender status.</p>

<p>They also said they relied on the 2016 policy put in place by Obama to reveal they are transgender and called Trump&#39;s reversal unfair, arbitrary and a violation of their privacy rights.</p>

<p>The Trump administration argued that transgender people might harm military unit cohesion and that they suffer medical conditions that could limit their ability to perform duties or deploy.</p>

<p>The judge said the military previously commissioned a study that debunked concerns about unit cohesion, military readiness, or healthcare costs related to transgender troops. That report estimated there were 2,450 active-duty service members and 1,510 in the military reserves.</p>

<p>&quot;In short, the military concerns purportedly underlying the president&#39;s decision had been studied and rejected by the military itself,&quot; Kollar-Kotelly wrote.</p>

<p>Other suits also have been filed against Trump&#39;s ban.</p>


Trump announced in July that he would ban transgender people from the military in a move that would reverse Democratic former President Barack Obama's policy of accepting them.

A federal judge in Washington on Monday blocked President Donald Trump from banning transgender people from serving in the US military, handing a victory to transgender service members who accused the president of violating their constitutional rights. Trump announced in July that he would ban transgender people from the military in a move that would reverse Democratic former President Barack Obama's policy of accepting them and halt years of efforts to eliminate barriers to military service based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The transgender service members sued in August to try to block the ban, which had not yet gone into effect, and US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly granted them an injunction halting enforcement of it until their case is resolved. The service members asserted that Trump's policy violated their rights to due process and equal protection under the law under the US Constitution. Kollar-Kotelly said the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in their claim that the ban was unconstitutional because the administration's reasons for it "do not appear to be supported by any facts." After his policy announcement on Twitter, Trump signed a memorandum in August that directed the military not to accept transgender people as recruits and halted the use of government funds for sex-reassignment surgeries for active-duty personnel unless the process was already underway. The memo called on Defense Secretary James Mattis to submit a plan to Trump by Feb. 21 on how to implement the changes, and the Pentagon has created a panel of senior officials for that purpose. In the meantime, the current policy of allowing transgender people to serve remains in force. Mattis in June already had delayed allowing transgender recruits to join the US armed forces on July 1 as previously scheduled. The judge tossed out the suit's challenge to the sex-reassignment surgery directive, saying none of the plaintiffs had shown they would be impacted by that prohibition. 'HUGELY IMPORTANT' "This is a hugely important decision and confirms that transgender people can and should be able to serve in the military if they are qualified to do so," said the plaintiffs' lead attorney, Jennifer Levi. "The court saw through the smoke screens that the government tried to throw up to hide what is actually going on here, which is straight-on bias and prejudice against transgender people," added Levi, director of the transgender rights project for the anti-discrimination group GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. The Justice Department said it was disappointed in the ruling and evaluating its next steps. Spokeswoman Lauren Ehrsam said the suit was premature because the "Defense Department is actively reviewing such service requirements, as the president ordered, and because none of the plaintiffs have established that they will be impacted by current policies on military service." Trump's action appealed to his hard-line conservative supporters. The president in February also rescinded protections put in place under Obama for transgender public school students. The judge's action marked the latest legal setback suffered by Trump on policies he has pursued as president. Courts also have blocked Trump's latest version of a travel ban on people from several Muslim-majority countries, and dealt him setbacks on policies on so-called sanctuary cities and environmental rules. The service members who sued Trump, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and military leaders in August had been serving openly as transgender people in the US Army, Air Force and Coast Guard. They said Trump's ban discriminated against them based on their sex and transgender status. They also said they relied on the 2016 policy put in place by Obama to reveal they are transgender and called Trump's reversal unfair, arbitrary and a violation of their privacy rights. The Trump administration argued that transgender people might harm military unit cohesion and that they suffer medical conditions that could limit their ability to perform duties or deploy. The judge said the military previously commissioned a study that debunked concerns about unit cohesion, military readiness, or healthcare costs related to transgender troops. That report estimated there were 2,450 active-duty service members and 1,510 in the military reserves. "In short, the military concerns purportedly underlying the president's decision had been studied and rejected by the military itself," Kollar-Kotelly wrote. Other suits also have been filed against Trump's ban.

In defeat for Trump, US judge blocks transgender military ban

<p>Federal investigators probing Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election charged President Donald Trump&#39;s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and another aide, Rick Gates, with money laundering on Monday.</p>

<p>A third former Trump adviser, George Papadopoulos, pleaded guilty in early October to lying to the FBI, it was announced on Monday.</p>

<p>It was a sharp escalation of U.S. Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller&#39;s five-month-old investigation into alleged Russian efforts to tilt the election in Trump&#39;s favour and into potential collusion by Trump aides.</p>

<p>Manafort, 68, a longtime Republican operative, and Gates were arraigned at a federal courthouse in Washington.</p>

<p>Both men pleaded not guilty to the charges against them in a 12-count indictment, ranging from money laundering to acting as unregistered agents of Ukraine&#39;s former pro-Russian government.</p>

<p>The judge ordered house arrest for both men, and set a $10 million unsecured bond for Manafort and a $5 million unsecured bond for Gates. With unsecured bonds, they are released without having to pay but will owe money if they fail to appear in court. There will be another hearing on Thursday.</p>

<p>The developments in the Mueller probe weighed on the U.S. dollar, which slipped 0.5 percent against a basket of currencies.</p>

<p>Mueller&#39;s investigation and others by congressional committees into alleged Russian efforts to influence the election have cast a shadow over Trump&#39;s first nine months in office.</p>

<p>Neither Trump nor his campaign was mentioned in the indictment against Manafort and Gates. The charges, some going back more than a decade, centre on Manafort&#39;s work for Ukraine.</p>

<p>The indictment includes accusations of conspiracy against the United States, failure to report foreign bank accounts to the U.S. government and conspiracy to launder money, a count that carries a 20-year maximum prison sentence.</p>

<p>A White House spokeswoman said the indictment had nothing to do with Trump or his campaign and showed no evidence of collusion between the campaign and Russia.</p>

<p>&quot;We&#39;ve been saying from Day One there&#39;s no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion, and nothing in the indictment today changes that at all,&quot; spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told a news briefing.</p>

<p>Manafort&#39;s attorney, Kevin Downing said in a statement that there was no evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government. Downing said Manafort&#39;s work for the Ukrainians ended in 2014, two years before he joined the Trump campaign.</p>

<p>Downing accused Mueller of using a &quot;novel&quot; legal theory to prosecute Manafort under a law requiring lobbyists to register with the Department of Justice when they are doing work for a foreign government.</p>

<p>Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor in Chicago, said the charges against Manafort could put pressure on him to cooperate with the Russia investigation.</p>

<p>&quot;If I were the defence lawyer, I&#39;d be looking into cooperating,&rdquo; he said.</p>

<p>GUILTY PLEA</p>

<p>In a development directly related to Trump&#39;s 2016 election campaign, it emerged on Monday that Papadopoulos, a former campaign adviser, pleaded guilty earlier this month to making false statements to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents.</p>

<p>Mueller&#39;s office said Papadopoulos lied to FBI agents about the timing of contact between him and a professor in London who claimed to have information that would hurt Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.</p>

<p>Papadopoulos, a little-known former foreign policy adviser in the campaign, made a plea bargain which stated that he has since &quot;met with the Government on numerous occasions to provide information and answer questions,&quot; according to a court document.</p>

<p>White House spokeswoman Sanders played down Papadopoulos&#39; campaign role, saying it was &quot;extremely limited&quot; and that he was a volunteer.</p>

<p>&quot;He asked to do things (and) he was basically pushed back or not responded to in any way,&quot; she said.</p>

<p>U.S. intelligence agencies say Russia interfered in the election, by hacking and releasing embarrassing emails and disseminating propaganda via social media to discredit Clinton.</p>

<p>Manafort ran the Trump campaign from June to August of 2016 before resigning amid reports he might have received millions of dollars in illegal payments from a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine.</p>

<p>Trump on Monday reiterated his frustration with the Mueller probe, which he has called &quot;a witch hunt.&quot; Moscow also denies the allegations.</p>

<p>&quot;Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren&#39;t Crooked Hillary &amp; the Dems the focus?????,&quot; Trump wrote on Twitter, referring to Clinton.</p>

<p>Mueller has been investigating Manafort&rsquo;s financial and real estate dealings and his prior work for a political group, the Party of Regions, which backed former pro-Kremlin Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich.</p>

<p>Both Manafort and Gates generated tens of millions of dollars of income from Ukraine work and laundered money through scores of U.S. and foreign entities to hide payments from American authorities, the indictment said.</p>

<p>They concealed from the United States their work and revenue as agents of Ukrainian political parties and used their wealth to lead a &quot;lavish lifestyle&quot; without paying taxes on the income, it said.</p>

<p>The indictment said Manafort owned properties in Manhattan; Brooklyn; the Hamptons; Arlington, Virginia, and elsewhere.</p>

<p>Prosecutors said Manafort spent almost $1 million on eight rugs in two years and more than $1.3 million on clothes from shops in Beverly Hills, California, and New York City. They also said he had been making payments on four Range Rovers and a Mercedes-Benz.</p>

<p>Gates was a longtime business partner of Manafort and has ties to Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs. He also served as deputy to Manafort during his brief tenure as Trump&#39;s campaign chairman.</p>

<p>Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer called for the Trump administration to avoid interfering with Mueller&#39;s probe.</p>

<p>&quot;The rule of law is paramount in America and the investigation must be allowed to proceed unimpeded. The president must not, under any circumstances, interfere with the special counsel&rsquo;s work in any way,&quot; Schumer said.</p>


A third former Trump adviser, George Papadopoulos, pleaded guilty in early October to lying to the FBI, it was announced on Monday.

Federal investigators probing Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election charged President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and another aide, Rick Gates, with money laundering on Monday. A third former Trump adviser, George Papadopoulos, pleaded guilty in early October to lying to the FBI, it was announced on Monday. It was a sharp escalation of U.S. Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller's five-month-old investigation into alleged Russian efforts to tilt the election in Trump's favour and into potential collusion by Trump aides. Manafort, 68, a longtime Republican operative, and Gates were arraigned at a federal courthouse in Washington. Both men pleaded not guilty to the charges against them in a 12-count indictment, ranging from money laundering to acting as unregistered agents of Ukraine's former pro-Russian government. The judge ordered house arrest for both men, and set a $10 million unsecured bond for Manafort and a $5 million unsecured bond for Gates. With unsecured bonds, they are released without having to pay but will owe money if they fail to appear in court. There will be another hearing on Thursday. The developments in the Mueller probe weighed on the U.S. dollar, which slipped 0.5 percent against a basket of currencies. Mueller's investigation and others by congressional committees into alleged Russian efforts to influence the election have cast a shadow over Trump's first nine months in office. Neither Trump nor his campaign was mentioned in the indictment against Manafort and Gates. The charges, some going back more than a decade, centre on Manafort's work for Ukraine. The indictment includes accusations of conspiracy against the United States, failure to report foreign bank accounts to the U.S. government and conspiracy to launder money, a count that carries a 20-year maximum prison sentence. A White House spokeswoman said the indictment had nothing to do with Trump or his campaign and showed no evidence of collusion between the campaign and Russia. "We've been saying from Day One there's no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion, and nothing in the indictment today changes that at all," spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told a news briefing. Manafort's attorney, Kevin Downing said in a statement that there was no evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government. Downing said Manafort's work for the Ukrainians ended in 2014, two years before he joined the Trump campaign. Downing accused Mueller of using a "novel" legal theory to prosecute Manafort under a law requiring lobbyists to register with the Department of Justice when they are doing work for a foreign government. Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor in Chicago, said the charges against Manafort could put pressure on him to cooperate with the Russia investigation. "If I were the defence lawyer, I'd be looking into cooperating,” he said. GUILTY PLEA In a development directly related to Trump's 2016 election campaign, it emerged on Monday that Papadopoulos, a former campaign adviser, pleaded guilty earlier this month to making false statements to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents. Mueller's office said Papadopoulos lied to FBI agents about the timing of contact between him and a professor in London who claimed to have information that would hurt Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Papadopoulos, a little-known former foreign policy adviser in the campaign, made a plea bargain which stated that he has since "met with the Government on numerous occasions to provide information and answer questions," according to a court document. White House spokeswoman Sanders played down Papadopoulos' campaign role, saying it was "extremely limited" and that he was a volunteer. "He asked to do things (and) he was basically pushed back or not responded to in any way," she said. U.S. intelligence agencies say Russia interfered in the election, by hacking and releasing embarrassing emails and disseminating propaganda via social media to discredit Clinton. Manafort ran the Trump campaign from June to August of 2016 before resigning amid reports he might have received millions of dollars in illegal payments from a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine. Trump on Monday reiterated his frustration with the Mueller probe, which he has called "a witch hunt." Moscow also denies the allegations. "Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren't Crooked Hillary & the Dems the focus?????," Trump wrote on Twitter, referring to Clinton. Mueller has been investigating Manafort’s financial and real estate dealings and his prior work for a political group, the Party of Regions, which backed former pro-Kremlin Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich. Both Manafort and Gates generated tens of millions of dollars of income from Ukraine work and laundered money through scores of U.S. and foreign entities to hide payments from American authorities, the indictment said. They concealed from the United States their work and revenue as agents of Ukrainian political parties and used their wealth to lead a "lavish lifestyle" without paying taxes on the income, it said. The indictment said Manafort owned properties in Manhattan; Brooklyn; the Hamptons; Arlington, Virginia, and elsewhere. Prosecutors said Manafort spent almost $1 million on eight rugs in two years and more than $1.3 million on clothes from shops in Beverly Hills, California, and New York City. They also said he had been making payments on four Range Rovers and a Mercedes-Benz. Gates was a longtime business partner of Manafort and has ties to Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs. He also served as deputy to Manafort during his brief tenure as Trump's campaign chairman. Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer called for the Trump administration to avoid interfering with Mueller's probe. "The rule of law is paramount in America and the investigation must be allowed to proceed unimpeded. The president must not, under any circumstances, interfere with the special counsel’s work in any way," Schumer said.

Two former Trump aides charged in Russia probe, third pleads guilty

<p>The dynamics of bilateral relations between India, US and China are swiftly changing under a rapidly transforming global order. The last week saw two significant developments underlining this commotion and churning in the international order, and India might find itself at the helm of affairs here.</p>

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<h5>The evolving strategic collaboration between Washington and New Delhi comes after the US President Donald Trump announced his South Asia policy and sought a greater role for India in Afghanistan.</h5>
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<p>The Asia visit of US Secretary of State came against the backdrop of the recently concluded 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Strong signs of an emerging multipolarity made themselves highly evident during the last few days when both US and China pushed for a greater assertion over the international affairs.</p>

<p>Tillerson&#39;s visit to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India was an attempt by the US to mark its territory in terms of its strategic dominance and rope in India as an important ally to the US in the region. The evolving strategic collaboration between Washington and New Delhi comes after the US President Donald Trump announced his South Asia policy and sought a greater role for India in Afghanistan.</p>

<p>The visit, which is said to have sent a strong message to Pakistan on the issue of terrorism, also seeks to prop up India as a useful balancer to the developing China-Pakistan axis in South Asia. The importance of the timing of this visit is also not lost on observers, as it comes barely days after Tillerson&rsquo;s speech on &ldquo;Defining our relationship with India for the next century&rdquo; at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). In his speech, Tillerson laid great emphasis on a &ldquo;free and open Indo-Pacific&rdquo; while being highly critical of China&#39;s &ldquo;less responsible&rdquo; rise.</p>

<p>Tillerson&#39;s attempts at strengthening America&#39;s position in the subcontinent were simultaneous to the 19th National Congress of the CPC which saw the emergence of President Xi Jinping as a very strong leader in the history of the country, with a stature next only to that of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping.</p>

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<h5>The consolidation of power in Xi Jinping will be critical to the Chinese foreign policy which will expectantly grow more assertive, both militarily and diplomatically.</h5>
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<p>Conscious of the world that was carefully observing the proceedings of the 19th NC, Xi laid a great emphasis on China&#39;s role as a world leader, and its endeavour to achieve a great power status. The repeated insistence on the importance of a globalised world and the significance of China&#39;s leadership clearly highlighted China&#39;s intentions to outgrow Deng Xiaoping&#39;s &ldquo;biding our time&rdquo; strategy and aggressively pursue Xi&#39;s &ldquo;China dream&rdquo;.</p>

<p>The consolidation of power in Xi Jinping will be critical to the Chinese foreign policy which will expectantly grow more assertive, both militarily and diplomatically. China, under Xi, will be looking to create and strengthen alternative global institutions, transform existing norms and push for regional supremacy. All this will happen as the US grows more isolationist in its global outlook. The daunting realisation that a more assertive China will be detrimental to the US&#39; strategic interests in Asia, was probably one of the many reasons behind Tillerson&#39;s visit to the region.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the face of the changing dynamics, however, India will find itself at the helm of affairs. The regional confrontation between India and China is set to increase as no formidable changes or major breaks could be detected in China&#39;s neighbourhood policy. In fact, the 19th NC saw the election of China&#39;s top diplomat and Special Representative for India-China border talks to the powerful 25 member politburo and is expected to rise further and become a vice premier in charge of foreign affairs.</p>

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<h5>A deepening engagement with the US at this point, along with an alternative alliance with Japan and Australia will help strengthen India&#39;s place in the global politics</h5>
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<p>The elevation of top diplomats to the powerful Central Committee and the politburo signifies the renewed commitment of President Xi in strongly pursuing China&#39;s regional dominance and countering the US influence in Asia-Pacific. India will be faced with an ever-rising China and can, therefore, expect more frequent skirmishes at the border, and at multilateral institutions.</p>

<p>This changing scenario will require India to carefully re-calibrate its relations. A deepening engagement with the US at this point, along with an alternative alliance with Japan and Australia will help strengthen India&#39;s place in the global politics. It will also provide a regional alternative to China for smaller countries in the Asia-Pacific. A robust India-US alliance will also work to offset China&#39;s dominance in the multilateral institutions. The US may be looking at a re-pivot to Asia and India might just be its best bet in the region.</p>


A deepening engagement with the US along with an alternative alliance with Japan and Australia will help strengthen India's place in the global politics

The dynamics of bilateral relations between India, US and China are swiftly changing under a rapidly transforming global order. The last week saw two significant developments underlining this commotion and churning in the international order, and India might find itself at the helm of affairs here. The evolving strategic collaboration between Washington and New Delhi comes after the US President Donald Trump announced his South Asia policy and sought a greater role for India in Afghanistan. × The Asia visit of US Secretary of State came against the backdrop of the recently concluded 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Strong signs of an emerging multipolarity made themselves highly evident during the last few days when both US and China pushed for a greater assertion over the international affairs. Tillerson's visit to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India was an attempt by the US to mark its territory in terms of its strategic dominance and rope in India as an important ally to the US in the region. The evolving strategic collaboration between Washington and New Delhi comes after the US President Donald Trump announced his South Asia policy and sought a greater role for India in Afghanistan. The visit, which is said to have sent a strong message to Pakistan on the issue of terrorism, also seeks to prop up India as a useful balancer to the developing China-Pakistan axis in South Asia. The importance of the timing of this visit is also not lost on observers, as it comes barely days after Tillerson’s speech on “Defining our relationship with India for the next century” at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). In his speech, Tillerson laid great emphasis on a “free and open Indo-Pacific” while being highly critical of China's “less responsible” rise. Tillerson's attempts at strengthening America's position in the subcontinent were simultaneous to the 19th National Congress of the CPC which saw the emergence of President Xi Jinping as a very strong leader in the history of the country, with a stature next only to that of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. The consolidation of power in Xi Jinping will be critical to the Chinese foreign policy which will expectantly grow more assertive, both militarily and diplomatically. × Conscious of the world that was carefully observing the proceedings of the 19th NC, Xi laid a great emphasis on China's role as a world leader, and its endeavour to achieve a great power status. The repeated insistence on the importance of a globalised world and the significance of China's leadership clearly highlighted China's intentions to outgrow Deng Xiaoping's “biding our time” strategy and aggressively pursue Xi's “China dream”. The consolidation of power in Xi Jinping will be critical to the Chinese foreign policy which will expectantly grow more assertive, both militarily and diplomatically. China, under Xi, will be looking to create and strengthen alternative global institutions, transform existing norms and push for regional supremacy. All this will happen as the US grows more isolationist in its global outlook. The daunting realisation that a more assertive China will be detrimental to the US' strategic interests in Asia, was probably one of the many reasons behind Tillerson's visit to the region. In the face of the changing dynamics, however, India will find itself at the helm of affairs. The regional confrontation between India and China is set to increase as no formidable changes or major breaks could be detected in China's neighbourhood policy. In fact, the 19th NC saw the election of China's top diplomat and Special Representative for India-China border talks to the powerful 25 member politburo and is expected to rise further and become a vice premier in charge of foreign affairs. A deepening engagement with the US at this point, along with an alternative alliance with Japan and Australia will help strengthen India's place in the global politics × The elevation of top diplomats to the powerful Central Committee and the politburo signifies the renewed commitment of President Xi in strongly pursuing China's regional dominance and countering the US influence in Asia-Pacific. India will be faced with an ever-rising China and can, therefore, expect more frequent skirmishes at the border, and at multilateral institutions. This changing scenario will require India to carefully re-calibrate its relations. A deepening engagement with the US at this point, along with an alternative alliance with Japan and Australia will help strengthen India's place in the global politics. It will also provide a regional alternative to China for smaller countries in the Asia-Pacific. A robust India-US alliance will also work to offset China's dominance in the multilateral institutions. The US may be looking at a re-pivot to Asia and India might just be its best bet in the region.

How India can counter China's growing influence in Asia

<p>Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gambled by calling a snap election &ndash; and he has won big.</p>

<p>Voters handed Abe&rsquo;s Liberal Democratic Party a sweeping victory in the Oct. 22 balloting for Japan&rsquo;s House of Representatives.</p>

<p>The call for the election came in late September after North Korea had just fired another test missile, with its longest delivery system yet. Over the past months, North Korea has tested six missiles, with each test either falling into the Japan Sea or passing over Japan to land in the Pacific. This latest missile flew over Japan&rsquo;s northernmost island of Hokkaido before falling into the Pacific Ocean. North Korea&rsquo;s leader, Kim Jung Un, used strong threats after this missile test, saying that he hoped to see Japan sink into the sea. Abe and his hawkish, conservative coalition have been attempting to rebuild Japan&rsquo;s military capabilities and to scrap its WWII-era constitution that prohibits aggression.</p>

<p>Based on my research in Japanese politics, I believe the party&rsquo;s electoral victory spells trouble for peace in Asia.</p>

<p><strong>Re-arming the military</strong></p>

<p>Abe&rsquo;s agenda has taken shape in a number of ways. In August, his minister of defence submitted a historic budget request that violates a decades-old unwritten principle. The principle is for Japan&rsquo;s defence budget to never be larger than 1 per cent of GDP. This principle was part of the commitment made after WWII to forever renounce military aggression.</p>

<p>The new budget request is a whopping 5,255 billion yen in military spending (US$48.1 billion) or 2.5 per cent of Japan&rsquo;s GDP for the fiscal year 2018. The request includes new land-based missile defence systems to monitor space and provides auto-warnings for missile launches. This technology would assist in detecting potential missile launches from North Korea, and could theoretically intercept them.</p>

<p>In September, the Japanese Navy launched the ship &ldquo;Myoko&rdquo; that will patrol the Japan Sea between Japan and Korea. It will guard against potential missile fires by North Korea with anti-missile defence capabilities, identical to those of the U.S. Navy. At the launch, Abe said that the &ldquo;increasingly severe security environment&rdquo; posed by North Korea and China must be &ldquo;squarely faced&rdquo; by Japan. He referred to the environment awaiting the Myoko&rsquo;s crew as a &quot;raging sea&quot;.</p>

<p>Many in Japan anticipate the role of Japan&rsquo;s military will soon change to respond to North Korea. Increasing military spending in the budget now may lead to future increases and spending on more offensive weapons. For example, two years ago, Japan and the U.S. renegotiated their security alliance. Japan agreed to come to the aid of its most important ally if the U.S. or one of its allies were to come under attack. A discussion on changing the Japanese Constitution&rsquo;s WWII prohibition of aggression is likely to be revived.</p>

<p><strong>Destabilising the region</strong></p>

<p>The requested increase in military spending in August had an immediate effect on the region and possibilities for peaceful relations.</p>

<p>A spokesperson for China&rsquo;s Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted China&rsquo;s concern over the new plan and accused Japan of inflating the threat posed by China in order to take a more offensive stance in Asia.</p>

<p>The relationship between China and Japan is already tense. The two nations are engaged in a dispute over the Senkaku Diaoyutai islands in the East China Sea. This disagreement flared up last summer when China stepped up military activity near the islands. Then in February, President Trump reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to come to Japan&rsquo;s aid with conventional and nuclear weapons in a statement signed by both leaders.</p>

<p>Abe&rsquo;s victory confirms that Japanese people take these threats seriously. Their fears may play into a developing brinksmanship between Japan and North Korea that could, in my opinion, implicate the United States.</p>

<p>Trump will visit Asia in November, and his stay in Japan includes a visit with Japanese who were abducted by North Korea during the 1970s and &lsquo;80s. Doing so may open old wounds with North Korea &ndash; the stories of abduction provoke strong feelings for the Japanese people who will be reminded of North Korea&rsquo;s past offences. Prospects for a peaceful resolution with North Korea are becoming more slim, strengthening Abe&rsquo;s case for building out Japan&rsquo;s offensive capabilities.</p>

<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/japans-vote-for-abe-could-worsen-prospects-for-peace-with-north-korea-china-86173" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.</p>


The USA's aid for Japan's military might narrow the prospect of solving Japan's issues with China and North Korea

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gambled by calling a snap election – and he has won big. Voters handed Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party a sweeping victory in the Oct. 22 balloting for Japan’s House of Representatives. The call for the election came in late September after North Korea had just fired another test missile, with its longest delivery system yet. Over the past months, North Korea has tested six missiles, with each test either falling into the Japan Sea or passing over Japan to land in the Pacific. This latest missile flew over Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido before falling into the Pacific Ocean. North Korea’s leader, Kim Jung Un, used strong threats after this missile test, saying that he hoped to see Japan sink into the sea. Abe and his hawkish, conservative coalition have been attempting to rebuild Japan’s military capabilities and to scrap its WWII-era constitution that prohibits aggression. Based on my research in Japanese politics, I believe the party’s electoral victory spells trouble for peace in Asia. Re-arming the military Abe’s agenda has taken shape in a number of ways. In August, his minister of defence submitted a historic budget request that violates a decades-old unwritten principle. The principle is for Japan’s defence budget to never be larger than 1 per cent of GDP. This principle was part of the commitment made after WWII to forever renounce military aggression. The new budget request is a whopping 5,255 billion yen in military spending (US$48.1 billion) or 2.5 per cent of Japan’s GDP for the fiscal year 2018. The request includes new land-based missile defence systems to monitor space and provides auto-warnings for missile launches. This technology would assist in detecting potential missile launches from North Korea, and could theoretically intercept them. In September, the Japanese Navy launched the ship “Myoko” that will patrol the Japan Sea between Japan and Korea. It will guard against potential missile fires by North Korea with anti-missile defence capabilities, identical to those of the U.S. Navy. At the launch, Abe said that the “increasingly severe security environment” posed by North Korea and China must be “squarely faced” by Japan. He referred to the environment awaiting the Myoko’s crew as a "raging sea". Many in Japan anticipate the role of Japan’s military will soon change to respond to North Korea. Increasing military spending in the budget now may lead to future increases and spending on more offensive weapons. For example, two years ago, Japan and the U.S. renegotiated their security alliance. Japan agreed to come to the aid of its most important ally if the U.S. or one of its allies were to come under attack. A discussion on changing the Japanese Constitution’s WWII prohibition of aggression is likely to be revived. Destabilising the region The requested increase in military spending in August had an immediate effect on the region and possibilities for peaceful relations. A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted China’s concern over the new plan and accused Japan of inflating the threat posed by China in order to take a more offensive stance in Asia. The relationship between China and Japan is already tense. The two nations are engaged in a dispute over the Senkaku Diaoyutai islands in the East China Sea. This disagreement flared up last summer when China stepped up military activity near the islands. Then in February, President Trump reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to come to Japan’s aid with conventional and nuclear weapons in a statement signed by both leaders. Abe’s victory confirms that Japanese people take these threats seriously. Their fears may play into a developing brinksmanship between Japan and North Korea that could, in my opinion, implicate the United States. Trump will visit Asia in November, and his stay in Japan includes a visit with Japanese who were abducted by North Korea during the 1970s and ‘80s. Doing so may open old wounds with North Korea – the stories of abduction provoke strong feelings for the Japanese people who will be reminded of North Korea’s past offences. Prospects for a peaceful resolution with North Korea are becoming more slim, strengthening Abe’s case for building out Japan’s offensive capabilities. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Japan's vote for Abe could worsen prospects for peace with North Korea, China

<p>New security measures including stricter passenger screening take effect on Thursday on all US-bound flights to comply with government requirements aimed at responding to threats of hidden explosives, airlines said.</p>

<p>Airlines contacted by Reuters said the new measures could include short security interviews with passengers at check-in or the boarding gate, sparking concerns over flight delays and extended processing time.</p>

<p>They will affect 325,000 airline passengers on about 2,100 commercial flights arriving daily in the United States, on 180 airlines from 280 airports in 105 countries.</p>

<p>US&nbsp;Transportation Security Administration officials are giving some airlines or airports additional time to comply with the new interviews as long the US&nbsp;government has approved security plans by Thursday.</p>

<p>&quot;TSA will continue to work closely with our aviation partners and verify that all security enhancements are accurately implemented,&quot; TSA spokeswoman Lucy Martinez said in a statement Wednesday.</p>

<p>The United States announced the new rules in June to end its restrictions on carry-on electronic devices on planes coming from 10 airports in eight countries in the Middle East and North Africa in response to concerns that explosives could be hidden in electronic devices.</p>

<p>Those restrictions were lifted in July, but the Trump administration said it could reimpose measures on a case by case basis if airlines and airports did not boost security.&nbsp;</p>

<p>European and US&nbsp;officials said at the time that airlines had 120 days to comply with the measures, including increased passenger screening. The 120-day deadline is Thursday. Airlines had until late July to expand explosive trace detection testing.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;We see this as a big issue for China Airlines,&quot; Steve Chang, senior vice president of the Taiwanese firm told reporters on Wednesday, adding the airline was trying to consult with the American Institute in the country over the issue.</p>

<p>&nbsp;Korean Airlines, South Korea&#39;s flagship carrier, also said it had a lot of concerns with the new measures.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;We are asking customers to show up at the airport early ... It&#39;s just inconvenient for the passengers,&quot; President and Chief Operating Officer Walter Cho told&nbsp;in Taipei.</p>

<p>Lufthansa Group said on Tuesday the measures would be in place by Thursday and travelers could face short interviews at check-in or at the gate.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Economy passengers on Lufthansa&#39;s Swiss airline have been asked to check in at least 90 minutes before departure.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Singapore Airlines Ltd said the security checks could include inspections of personal electronic devices as well as security questioning during check-in and boarding.</p>

<p>Airlines for America, a US&nbsp;trade group, said the changes &quot;are complex security measures&quot; but praised US&nbsp;officials for giving airlines flexibility in meeting the new rules.</p>

<p>Alexandre de Juniac, CEO of the International Air Transport Association, said the industry understood security threats to aviation were made regularly but in this case, the US&nbsp;government had not shared any specific dangers before changing the rules.</p>

<p>&quot;What we have seen is very strange,&quot; he told reporters in Taipei. &quot;Unilateral measures announced without any prior consultation... That is something that is very concerning and disturbing.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>At their annual meeting in Taipei, Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) members passed a resolution calling for security measures to be risk-based, outcome-focused and proportionate to the probable threat.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Unilateral actions taken by individual governments reacting to emerging threats may result in unnecessary disruption or lead to unintended safety consequences,&quot; said the members.</p>

<p>AAPA includes most large Asian airlines but not mainland Chinese carriers.</p>

<p>&quot;The risk is other countries make similar demands,&quot; AAPA Director General Andrew Herdman said.</p>

<p>US&nbsp;authorities in June also ordered increased security around aircraft and in passenger areas, and other places where travelers can be cleared by US officials before they depart and ordered enhanced screening of personal electronic devices. Some of those new requirements take effect this week as well.</p>

<p>The TSA said in July it was imposing new security rules requiring US&nbsp;domestic airline travelers to remove all electronic items larger than mobile phones such as tablets, e-readers and video game consoles from carry-on baggage for screening.</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


New security measures including stricter passenger screening take effect on Thursday on all U.S.-bound flights to comply with government requirements aimed at responding to threats of hidden explosives, airlines said.

New security measures including stricter passenger screening take effect on Thursday on all US-bound flights to comply with government requirements aimed at responding to threats of hidden explosives, airlines said. Airlines contacted by Reuters said the new measures could include short security interviews with passengers at check-in or the boarding gate, sparking concerns over flight delays and extended processing time. They will affect 325,000 airline passengers on about 2,100 commercial flights arriving daily in the United States, on 180 airlines from 280 airports in 105 countries. US Transportation Security Administration officials are giving some airlines or airports additional time to comply with the new interviews as long the US government has approved security plans by Thursday. "TSA will continue to work closely with our aviation partners and verify that all security enhancements are accurately implemented," TSA spokeswoman Lucy Martinez said in a statement Wednesday. The United States announced the new rules in June to end its restrictions on carry-on electronic devices on planes coming from 10 airports in eight countries in the Middle East and North Africa in response to concerns that explosives could be hidden in electronic devices. Those restrictions were lifted in July, but the Trump administration said it could reimpose measures on a case by case basis if airlines and airports did not boost security. European and US officials said at the time that airlines had 120 days to comply with the measures, including increased passenger screening. The 120-day deadline is Thursday. Airlines had until late July to expand explosive trace detection testing. "We see this as a big issue for China Airlines," Steve Chang, senior vice president of the Taiwanese firm told reporters on Wednesday, adding the airline was trying to consult with the American Institute in the country over the issue. Korean Airlines, South Korea's flagship carrier, also said it had a lot of concerns with the new measures. "We are asking customers to show up at the airport early ... It's just inconvenient for the passengers," President and Chief Operating Officer Walter Cho told in Taipei. Lufthansa Group said on Tuesday the measures would be in place by Thursday and travelers could face short interviews at check-in or at the gate. Economy passengers on Lufthansa's Swiss airline have been asked to check in at least 90 minutes before departure. Singapore Airlines Ltd said the security checks could include inspections of personal electronic devices as well as security questioning during check-in and boarding. Airlines for America, a US trade group, said the changes "are complex security measures" but praised US officials for giving airlines flexibility in meeting the new rules. Alexandre de Juniac, CEO of the International Air Transport Association, said the industry understood security threats to aviation were made regularly but in this case, the US government had not shared any specific dangers before changing the rules. "What we have seen is very strange," he told reporters in Taipei. "Unilateral measures announced without any prior consultation... That is something that is very concerning and disturbing." At their annual meeting in Taipei, Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) members passed a resolution calling for security measures to be risk-based, outcome-focused and proportionate to the probable threat. "Unilateral actions taken by individual governments reacting to emerging threats may result in unnecessary disruption or lead to unintended safety consequences," said the members. AAPA includes most large Asian airlines but not mainland Chinese carriers. "The risk is other countries make similar demands," AAPA Director General Andrew Herdman said. US authorities in June also ordered increased security around aircraft and in passenger areas, and other places where travelers can be cleared by US officials before they depart and ordered enhanced screening of personal electronic devices. Some of those new requirements take effect this week as well. The TSA said in July it was imposing new security rules requiring US domestic airline travelers to remove all electronic items larger than mobile phones such as tablets, e-readers and video game consoles from carry-on baggage for screening.

Airlines get ready for new US security rules from Thursday

<p>During what was the 2017 Easter weekend for most of the world, North Koreans celebrated the &ldquo;Day of the Sun&rdquo;. It was the 105th birthday of the country&rsquo;s late founding leader and &ldquo;eternal president&rdquo; Kim Il-sung (1912-1994).</p>

<p>Thousands of soldiers, military vehicles and, most notably, various ballistic missiles were paraded for the inspection of current supreme leader Kim Jong-Un (Kim Il-sung&rsquo;s grandson).</p>

<p>But it wasn&rsquo;t the parade that signalled North Korea&rsquo;s belligerence; numerous other countries hold military parades to mark some significant occasion or another.</p>

<p>Instead, what was clearly aggressive was the presentation of a mock-up video of the country&rsquo;s ballistic missiles destroying an American city during a national musical performance.</p>

<p>This video is the most visceral expression yet of Pyongyang&rsquo;s intentions. Its telecast was likely timed to coincide with the expected arrival of the US Navy&rsquo;s aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, and its accompanying fleet of warships in Korean waters.</p>

<p><strong>Inching closer</strong></p>

<p>On April 8, US President Donald Trump and other American officials told the media that the Carl Vinson had been ordered to make its way towards the Korean peninsula. The likely plan was to demonstrate American resolve in managing the crisis that North Korea&rsquo;s nuclear weapons program has created.</p>

<p>Subsequent revelations that the warship was actually heading south for exercises with the Australian Navy at the time showed a series of blunders in internal communication. But the fact that the Carl Vinson has arrived off Korean waters two weeks later does not change the prospect of a military conflict between North Korea and the United States.</p>

<p>The key question is whether North Korea does have nuclear weapons that it can readily use against the United States and its regional allies, South Korea and Japan. It&rsquo;s still unlikely North Korea has the current capability to launch a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile that can destroy an American city.</p>

<p>North Korea&rsquo;s scientists have yet to master the technology to build missiles that can traverse this distance and to construct warheads that can survive re-entry into the Earth&rsquo;s atmosphere after space flight.</p>

<p>But years of testing has allowed North Korea to inch closer to getting right the extremely demanding science of building and launching viable intercontinental nuclear weapons. And this is why the United States is against further testing, to the point that the Trump administration seems serious about justifying pre-emptive strikes on the basis of further nuclear and missile tests.</p>

<p>What is of immediate concern is that previous tests have led to North Korea being able to achieve the relatively easier requirements of building workable medium-range ballistic missiles, with small enough warheads, to strike American bases in South Korea and Japan. These have about 80,000 US military personnel in total.</p>

<p><strong>Approaching catastrophe</strong></p>

<p>North Korea may already have as many 20 nuclear warheads that are small enough to be carried on its Nodong (or Rodong-1) medium-range missiles that can reach these bases. And the Trump administration seems to not want to risk the lives of American soldiers by assuming that North Korea doesn&rsquo;t already have this nuclear capability.</p>

<p>The cost of that mistake would be the lives of not just 80,000 American military personnel but also countless South Korean and Japanese lives as well. In fact, a North Korean nuclear attack, which will likely develop into war, can be expected to create a humanitarian, environmental and economic catastrophe that will set back the international community.</p>

<p>This is what&rsquo;s immediately at stake for everyone. And it explains why the United States is putting pressure on China, as an ally of North Korea, to influence it to stop its nuclear weapons program.</p>

<p>But if China and other countries fail to stop North Korea building nuclear weapons, the United States will feel pressured to use military force to destroy whatever nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles sites it can locate by satellite surveillance.</p>

<p>The decision to divert the Carl Vinson to waters near the Korean peninsula may also be driven by new intelligence on North Korea&rsquo;s nuclear threat. The challenge is that sending an American naval armada towards North Korea risks triggering the very nuclear attack against US bases that the Trump administration is trying to avoid in the first place.</p>

<p>This could explain why the administration said it was sending its naval vessels two weeks ago when it really did so later. It may have been to test North Korea&rsquo;s attitude without escalating the situation by the actual presence of American naval forces that could trigger military action by Kim Jong-Un&rsquo;s regime.</p>

<p><strong>A worrying stand-off</strong></p>

<p>Why would North Korea want to use nuclear weapons against American bases in Northeast Asia in the first place? It is helpful to remember that, technically, North and South Korea have been at war since 1950 (the Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice rather than peace). And that the United States has chosen to provide military assistance to the South to help protect it from any aggression by the North.</p>

<p>North Korea may have a very large army of about one million soldiers. South Korea effectively has half that number. Although the majority of South Korea&rsquo;s able-bodied male citizens may contribute to a military reserve of a few million soldiers, mobilising them in time to respond to a conflict is another question and their role is often excluded from analyses.</p>

<p>As such, the American military personnel and the superior equipment, aircraft and ships that they operate provide the South with a better chance of avoiding defeat should war break out.</p>

<p>Pyongyang&rsquo;s intention in using nuclear weapons would be to destroy these American bases to remove the advantage they give to South Korea&rsquo;s national defence. This is why the threat of nuclear use, especially by a more brazen regime under Kim Jong-Un, needs to be taken very seriously.</p>

<p>Such is the current quagmire as the world waits to see how the geopolitics of the Korean peninsula will unfold over the next few months. And as strategists and policymakers scramble to find other approaches for halting North Korea&rsquo;s growing nuclear threat.</p>

<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-north-koreas-nuclear-threat-must-be-taken-more-seriously-than-ever-76592" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.</p>


North Korea?s growing nuclear power intends to destroy the US army bases in Korean region

During what was the 2017 Easter weekend for most of the world, North Koreans celebrated the “Day of the Sun”. It was the 105th birthday of the country’s late founding leader and “eternal president” Kim Il-sung (1912-1994). Thousands of soldiers, military vehicles and, most notably, various ballistic missiles were paraded for the inspection of current supreme leader Kim Jong-Un (Kim Il-sung’s grandson). But it wasn’t the parade that signalled North Korea’s belligerence; numerous other countries hold military parades to mark some significant occasion or another. Instead, what was clearly aggressive was the presentation of a mock-up video of the country’s ballistic missiles destroying an American city during a national musical performance. This video is the most visceral expression yet of Pyongyang’s intentions. Its telecast was likely timed to coincide with the expected arrival of the US Navy’s aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, and its accompanying fleet of warships in Korean waters. Inching closer On April 8, US President Donald Trump and other American officials told the media that the Carl Vinson had been ordered to make its way towards the Korean peninsula. The likely plan was to demonstrate American resolve in managing the crisis that North Korea’s nuclear weapons program has created. Subsequent revelations that the warship was actually heading south for exercises with the Australian Navy at the time showed a series of blunders in internal communication. But the fact that the Carl Vinson has arrived off Korean waters two weeks later does not change the prospect of a military conflict between North Korea and the United States. The key question is whether North Korea does have nuclear weapons that it can readily use against the United States and its regional allies, South Korea and Japan. It’s still unlikely North Korea has the current capability to launch a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile that can destroy an American city. North Korea’s scientists have yet to master the technology to build missiles that can traverse this distance and to construct warheads that can survive re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere after space flight. But years of testing has allowed North Korea to inch closer to getting right the extremely demanding science of building and launching viable intercontinental nuclear weapons. And this is why the United States is against further testing, to the point that the Trump administration seems serious about justifying pre-emptive strikes on the basis of further nuclear and missile tests. What is of immediate concern is that previous tests have led to North Korea being able to achieve the relatively easier requirements of building workable medium-range ballistic missiles, with small enough warheads, to strike American bases in South Korea and Japan. These have about 80,000 US military personnel in total. Approaching catastrophe North Korea may already have as many 20 nuclear warheads that are small enough to be carried on its Nodong (or Rodong-1) medium-range missiles that can reach these bases. And the Trump administration seems to not want to risk the lives of American soldiers by assuming that North Korea doesn’t already have this nuclear capability. The cost of that mistake would be the lives of not just 80,000 American military personnel but also countless South Korean and Japanese lives as well. In fact, a North Korean nuclear attack, which will likely develop into war, can be expected to create a humanitarian, environmental and economic catastrophe that will set back the international community. This is what’s immediately at stake for everyone. And it explains why the United States is putting pressure on China, as an ally of North Korea, to influence it to stop its nuclear weapons program. But if China and other countries fail to stop North Korea building nuclear weapons, the United States will feel pressured to use military force to destroy whatever nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles sites it can locate by satellite surveillance. The decision to divert the Carl Vinson to waters near the Korean peninsula may also be driven by new intelligence on North Korea’s nuclear threat. The challenge is that sending an American naval armada towards North Korea risks triggering the very nuclear attack against US bases that the Trump administration is trying to avoid in the first place. This could explain why the administration said it was sending its naval vessels two weeks ago when it really did so later. It may have been to test North Korea’s attitude without escalating the situation by the actual presence of American naval forces that could trigger military action by Kim Jong-Un’s regime. A worrying stand-off Why would North Korea want to use nuclear weapons against American bases in Northeast Asia in the first place? It is helpful to remember that, technically, North and South Korea have been at war since 1950 (the Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice rather than peace). And that the United States has chosen to provide military assistance to the South to help protect it from any aggression by the North. North Korea may have a very large army of about one million soldiers. South Korea effectively has half that number. Although the majority of South Korea’s able-bodied male citizens may contribute to a military reserve of a few million soldiers, mobilising them in time to respond to a conflict is another question and their role is often excluded from analyses. As such, the American military personnel and the superior equipment, aircraft and ships that they operate provide the South with a better chance of avoiding defeat should war break out. Pyongyang’s intention in using nuclear weapons would be to destroy these American bases to remove the advantage they give to South Korea’s national defence. This is why the threat of nuclear use, especially by a more brazen regime under Kim Jong-Un, needs to be taken very seriously. Such is the current quagmire as the world waits to see how the geopolitics of the Korean peninsula will unfold over the next few months. And as strategists and policymakers scramble to find other approaches for halting North Korea’s growing nuclear threat. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Why North Korea's nuclear threat must be taken more seriously than ever

<p>Hillary Clinton&#39;s presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee helped pay for research that went into a salacious dossier on Donald Trump&#39;s alleged campaign ties to Russia, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.</p>

<p>In April 2016, lawyer Marc Elias, working on behalf of the Clinton campaign and the DNC, retained Washington firm Fusion GPS to examine Trump&#39;s Russia links, according to the report.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The payments continued until just days before the November 2016 election.</p>

<p>Even before that deal, Fusion GPS&#39;s research into Trump was funded by a rival in the Republican presidential primary election. That Republican&#39;s identity is not yet known.</p>

<p>Fusion GPS has asked that a federal judge to block a House Intelligence Committee request to gain access to the company&#39;s bank records, saying it would violate its constitutional rights.</p>

<p>The 35-page political research dossier, prepared by former MI6 officer Christopher Steele, has become central to congressional probes into Russian interference in the 2016 US elections.</p>

<p>Trump has branded the dossier&nbsp;which contains salacious, and partially unconfirmed, political, financial and sexual allegations -- as &quot;fake news.&quot;</p>

<p>On Saturday, Trump tweeted that the Justice Department and FBI &quot;should immediately release who paid for it.&quot;</p>

<p>Two days earlier, he mused publicly on Twitter that Democrats may have funded the research.</p>

<p>&quot;Workers of the firm involved with the discredited and Fake Dossier take the 5th. Who paid for it, Russia, the FBI or the Dems (or all)?&quot; the president wrote.</p>


Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee helped pay for research that went into a salacious dossier on Donald Trump's alleged campaign ties to Russia

Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee helped pay for research that went into a salacious dossier on Donald Trump's alleged campaign ties to Russia, The Washington Post reported Tuesday. In April 2016, lawyer Marc Elias, working on behalf of the Clinton campaign and the DNC, retained Washington firm Fusion GPS to examine Trump's Russia links, according to the report. The payments continued until just days before the November 2016 election. Even before that deal, Fusion GPS's research into Trump was funded by a rival in the Republican presidential primary election. That Republican's identity is not yet known. Fusion GPS has asked that a federal judge to block a House Intelligence Committee request to gain access to the company's bank records, saying it would violate its constitutional rights. The 35-page political research dossier, prepared by former MI6 officer Christopher Steele, has become central to congressional probes into Russian interference in the 2016 US elections. Trump has branded the dossier which contains salacious, and partially unconfirmed, political, financial and sexual allegations -- as "fake news." On Saturday, Trump tweeted that the Justice Department and FBI "should immediately release who paid for it." Two days earlier, he mused publicly on Twitter that Democrats may have funded the research. "Workers of the firm involved with the discredited and Fake Dossier take the 5th. Who paid for it, Russia, the FBI or the Dems (or all)?" the president wrote.

Clinton paid in part for Trump-Russia dossier: Report

<p>Donald Trump&#39;s attempt to build bridges in his own party blew up spectacularly on Tuesday as one senator announced he is quitting Congress and another attacked the president for debasing the country.</p>

<p>Senator Jeff Flake assailed Trump in a bombshell 17-minute floor speech that sounded like a distress call warning of a &quot;reckless presidency,&quot; just minutes after Trump made a rare foray to Congress to dine with Republican senators.</p>

<p>Flake&#39;s surprise announcement came hours after a Republican colleague, Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, reignited his war of words with Trump, calling him an &quot;utterly untruthful&quot; leader who &quot;debases&quot; the nation.</p>

<p>The extraordinary developments on Capitol Hill only deepened the tensions between Trump and his party, some of whose establishment members have grown increasingly concerned about his coarse and combative style of governing.</p>

<p>Flake, an establishment conservative who has served in the Senate since 2013 and has been an outspoken critic of Trump-era politics, displayed visible emotion as he announced he would not seek re-election next year.</p>

<p>&quot;The personal attacks, the threats against principles, freedoms and institutions, the flagrant disregard for truth and decency... none of these appalling features of our current politics should ever be regarded as normal,&quot; said the 54-year-old Arizona Republican.</p>

<p>&quot;We must stop pretending that the degradation of politics and the conduct of some in our executive branch are normal,&quot; Flake warned.</p>

<p>&quot;Reckless, outrageous and undignified behavior is excused as telling it like it is, when it&#39;s actually just reckless, outrageous and undignified.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Flake blasted Trump for his unfettered tweeting, and attacked fellow Republicans for keeping quiet as &quot;the alliances and agreements that ensure the stability of the entire world are routinely threatened by the level of thought that goes into 140 characters.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Politics can make us silent when we should speak and silence can equal complicity,&quot; added the senator. &quot;I will not be complicit or silent.&quot;</p>

<p><strong>&#39;Untruthful president&#39;</strong><br />
<br />
Tuesday was supposed to be a good day for the often-strained relations between Trump and his party.</p>

<p>The president attended the Senate Republican caucus lunch for the first time since his inauguration, to press for a unified front for passing a package of tax cuts before year&#39;s end.</p>

<p>But the unity unraveled before he even arrived.</p>

<p>The focus swerved instead to a brutal back-and-forth between Trump and Corker, the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman who has excoriated the president as dangerously impulsive and branded the White House an &quot;adult day care center.&quot;</p>

<p>When Corker urged the president early Tuesday to stand clear of the tax debate and &quot;leave it to the professionals&quot; -- Trump rounded on him in a series of tweets, and the war of words was on.</p>

<p>President Trump tweeted:</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bob Corker, who helped President O give us the bad Iran Deal &amp; couldn&#39;t get elected dog catcher in Tennessee, is now fighting Tax Cuts....</p>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/922798321739161600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Corker, who opposed the Iran nuclear deal because he believed it was too weak, shot back:</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Same untruths from an utterly untruthful president. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AlertTheDaycareStaff?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AlertTheDaycareStaff</a></p>
&mdash; Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenBobCorker/status/922807083526914049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;I don&#39;t know why he lowers himself to such a low, low standard and debases our country in the way that he does, but he does,&quot; Corker -- who like Flake is not seeking re-election next year -- went on to tell reporters, voicing regret for supporting Trump&#39;s presidential bid.</p>

<p><strong>&nbsp;&#39;Political price&#39;</strong><br />
<br />
In the past week, Trump has been harshly criticised by two high-profile Republicans: former president George W Bush, who said &quot;bigotry seems emboldened&quot; in the Trump era, and Senator John McCain, a former war hero who issued a searing rebuke to Trump&#39;s ideas and politics.</p>

<p>Trump&#39;s feud with Corker has further exposed the president&#39;s tensions with some Republicans in Congress, where a major legislative victory this year has proved elusive.</p>

<p>Immediately after Flake&#39;s speech, McCain, the senior senator from their state of Arizona, praised him for his &quot;honor&quot; and &quot;patriotism.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;I have seen Jeff Flake stand up for what he believes in, knowing full well that there would be a political price to pay,&quot; McCain said.</p>

<p>Trump has previously attacked Flake as &quot;weak&quot; and &quot;ineffective,&quot; and has derided Corker&#39;s height while labeling him &quot;incompetent.&quot;</p>

<p>White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders responded to their twin attacks on Trump by saying voters would likely not have supported either senator were they to have run again.</p>

<p>&quot;I think that they were not likely to be re-elected, and I think that that shows that the support is more behind this president than it is those two individuals,&quot; she said.</p>

<p>Republicans and Democrats alike expressed their sadness about Flake&#39;s announced departure.</p>

<p>&quot;Jeff Flake is good people,&quot; said Democratic Senator Brian Schatz.</p>

<p>&quot;If he&#39;s not sufficiently Republican, I don&#39;t know what the modern Republican Party is.&quot;<br />
&nbsp;</p>


One senator announced he is quitting Congress and another attacked the president for debasing the country

Donald Trump's attempt to build bridges in his own party blew up spectacularly on Tuesday as one senator announced he is quitting Congress and another attacked the president for debasing the country. Senator Jeff Flake assailed Trump in a bombshell 17-minute floor speech that sounded like a distress call warning of a "reckless presidency," just minutes after Trump made a rare foray to Congress to dine with Republican senators. Flake's surprise announcement came hours after a Republican colleague, Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, reignited his war of words with Trump, calling him an "utterly untruthful" leader who "debases" the nation. The extraordinary developments on Capitol Hill only deepened the tensions between Trump and his party, some of whose establishment members have grown increasingly concerned about his coarse and combative style of governing. Flake, an establishment conservative who has served in the Senate since 2013 and has been an outspoken critic of Trump-era politics, displayed visible emotion as he announced he would not seek re-election next year. "The personal attacks, the threats against principles, freedoms and institutions, the flagrant disregard for truth and decency... none of these appalling features of our current politics should ever be regarded as normal," said the 54-year-old Arizona Republican. "We must stop pretending that the degradation of politics and the conduct of some in our executive branch are normal," Flake warned. "Reckless, outrageous and undignified behavior is excused as telling it like it is, when it's actually just reckless, outrageous and undignified." Flake blasted Trump for his unfettered tweeting, and attacked fellow Republicans for keeping quiet as "the alliances and agreements that ensure the stability of the entire world are routinely threatened by the level of thought that goes into 140 characters." "Politics can make us silent when we should speak and silence can equal complicity," added the senator. "I will not be complicit or silent." 'Untruthful president' Tuesday was supposed to be a good day for the often-strained relations between Trump and his party. The president attended the Senate Republican caucus lunch for the first time since his inauguration, to press for a unified front for passing a package of tax cuts before year's end. But the unity unraveled before he even arrived. The focus swerved instead to a brutal back-and-forth between Trump and Corker, the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman who has excoriated the president as dangerously impulsive and branded the White House an "adult day care center." When Corker urged the president early Tuesday to stand clear of the tax debate and "leave it to the professionals" -- Trump rounded on him in a series of tweets, and the war of words was on. President Trump tweeted: Bob Corker, who helped President O give us the bad Iran Deal & couldn't get elected dog catcher in Tennessee, is now fighting Tax Cuts.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 24, 2017 × Corker, who opposed the Iran nuclear deal because he believed it was too weak, shot back: Same untruths from an utterly untruthful president. #AlertTheDaycareStaff — Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) October 24, 2017 × "I don't know why he lowers himself to such a low, low standard and debases our country in the way that he does, but he does," Corker -- who like Flake is not seeking re-election next year -- went on to tell reporters, voicing regret for supporting Trump's presidential bid. 'Political price' In the past week, Trump has been harshly criticised by two high-profile Republicans: former president George W Bush, who said "bigotry seems emboldened" in the Trump era, and Senator John McCain, a former war hero who issued a searing rebuke to Trump's ideas and politics. Trump's feud with Corker has further exposed the president's tensions with some Republicans in Congress, where a major legislative victory this year has proved elusive. Immediately after Flake's speech, McCain, the senior senator from their state of Arizona, praised him for his "honor" and "patriotism." "I have seen Jeff Flake stand up for what he believes in, knowing full well that there would be a political price to pay," McCain said. Trump has previously attacked Flake as "weak" and "ineffective," and has derided Corker's height while labeling him "incompetent." White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders responded to their twin attacks on Trump by saying voters would likely not have supported either senator were they to have run again. "I think that they were not likely to be re-elected, and I think that that shows that the support is more behind this president than it is those two individuals," she said. Republicans and Democrats alike expressed their sadness about Flake's announced departure. "Jeff Flake is good people," said Democratic Senator Brian Schatz. "If he's not sufficiently Republican, I don't know what the modern Republican Party is."

Anti-Trump headwinds roil Congress as Republicans blast president

<p>President Donald Trump would reaffirm the American leadership in promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific region during his maiden trip to Asia next month, the White House has said.</p>

<p>Ten months into the world&#39;s most powerful executive office, the US president would embark on a two-week-long trip to Asia.</p>

<p>&quot;The president&#39;s travel is going to underscore his commitment to longstanding United States alliances and partnerships and reaffirm the United States leadership in promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific,&quot; a senior administration official told reporters in a preview of the trip.</p>

<p>Trump himself told reporters in a joint media appearance with the visiting Prime Minister of Singapore that he is looking forward to his trip to Asia from November 3 to 14.</p>

<p>&quot;This trip will be the president&#39;s longest to date, underscoring the importance that he places on the Indo-Pacific region,&quot; the senior administration official said.</p>

<p>While his visits to Japan, South Korea, and China, are bilateral one, during his stops in Vietnam and the Philippines, Trump will be participating in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit and the US ASEAN Summit.<br />
In Vietnam and Philippines, Trump also plans to hold bilateral and tri-lateral meetings with other world leaders, details of which are still being worked out.</p>

<p>Trump would embark on his Indo-Pacific sojourn on November 3 via Hawaii wherein he will receive a briefing from the US Pacific Command. He will also visit Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial.</p>

<p>The president will officially commence his visit to Asia beginning with Japan on November 5.</p>

<p>In Japan, &quot;he is going to affirm the US-Japan Alliance as the cornerstone for regional peace and security,&quot; the official said adding that he will focus on ways for the US and Japan to work together to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific Region.</p>

<p>During his state visit to South Korea on November 7, Trump will participate in bilateral meetings with President Moon Jae-in and also visit American and South Korean service members.</p>

<p>The next day, he will speak at the National Assembly in Korea, where he will celebrate the enduring alliance and friendship between the United States and the Republic of Korea and call on the international community to join together in maximising pressure on North Korea.</p>

<p>Trump is likely to highlight the enduring strength of the US-South Korea alliance, which is stronger than ever in the face of North Korean aggression, the official said.</p>

<p>Trump would fly to Beijing the next day for a series of bilateral, commercial and cultural events including meetings with President Xi Jinping.</p>

<p>&quot;I anticipate that the president will seek to secure China&#39;s commitments to exert more pressure on North Korea and to rebalance our economic relations.The visit will send a clear message that for bilateral economic relations to be sustainable over the long term, China must provide fair and reciprocal treatment to US firms and cease predatory trade and investment practices,&quot; the official said.</p>

<p>The president will then travel to Da Nang in Vietnam on November 10, where he will participate in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation APEC, economic leaders meeting and deliver a speech at the APEC CEO Summit.</p>

<p>&quot;In the speech, Trump will present the United States commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and underscore the important role the region plays in advancing America&#39;s economic prosperity,&quot; the official said adding that Trump&#39;s engagements at APEC will reinforce the US commitment to an equitable, sustainable and rules-based international economic system based on market principles.</p>

<p>On November 11, Trump will travel to Hanoi, where he&#39;s going to have an official visit and bilateral engagements with President Tran Dai Quang and other senior Vietnamese leaders.</p>

<p>President Trump will arrive in Manila in the Philippines on November 12, to participate in special gala celebration dinner for the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.</p>

<p>The next day on November 13, the president will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the US-ASEAN relations at the US-ASEAN Summit and will participate in bilateral meetings with President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines.</p>

<p>&quot;The president&#39;s participation in ASEAN events will advance US leadership, promoting Indo-Pacific trade and security architecture that&#39;s based on freedom and openness and adherence to the rule of law,&quot; the official said.</p>


President Donald Trump will embark on two-week-long trip to Japan, South Korea, China next month.

President Donald Trump would reaffirm the American leadership in promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific region during his maiden trip to Asia next month, the White House has said. Ten months into the world's most powerful executive office, the US president would embark on a two-week-long trip to Asia. "The president's travel is going to underscore his commitment to longstanding United States alliances and partnerships and reaffirm the United States leadership in promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific," a senior administration official told reporters in a preview of the trip. Trump himself told reporters in a joint media appearance with the visiting Prime Minister of Singapore that he is looking forward to his trip to Asia from November 3 to 14. "This trip will be the president's longest to date, underscoring the importance that he places on the Indo-Pacific region," the senior administration official said. While his visits to Japan, South Korea, and China, are bilateral one, during his stops in Vietnam and the Philippines, Trump will be participating in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit and the US ASEAN Summit. In Vietnam and Philippines, Trump also plans to hold bilateral and tri-lateral meetings with other world leaders, details of which are still being worked out. Trump would embark on his Indo-Pacific sojourn on November 3 via Hawaii wherein he will receive a briefing from the US Pacific Command. He will also visit Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial. The president will officially commence his visit to Asia beginning with Japan on November 5. In Japan, "he is going to affirm the US-Japan Alliance as the cornerstone for regional peace and security," the official said adding that he will focus on ways for the US and Japan to work together to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific Region. During his state visit to South Korea on November 7, Trump will participate in bilateral meetings with President Moon Jae-in and also visit American and South Korean service members. The next day, he will speak at the National Assembly in Korea, where he will celebrate the enduring alliance and friendship between the United States and the Republic of Korea and call on the international community to join together in maximising pressure on North Korea. Trump is likely to highlight the enduring strength of the US-South Korea alliance, which is stronger than ever in the face of North Korean aggression, the official said. Trump would fly to Beijing the next day for a series of bilateral, commercial and cultural events including meetings with President Xi Jinping. "I anticipate that the president will seek to secure China's commitments to exert more pressure on North Korea and to rebalance our economic relations.The visit will send a clear message that for bilateral economic relations to be sustainable over the long term, China must provide fair and reciprocal treatment to US firms and cease predatory trade and investment practices," the official said. The president will then travel to Da Nang in Vietnam on November 10, where he will participate in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation APEC, economic leaders meeting and deliver a speech at the APEC CEO Summit. "In the speech, Trump will present the United States commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and underscore the important role the region plays in advancing America's economic prosperity," the official said adding that Trump's engagements at APEC will reinforce the US commitment to an equitable, sustainable and rules-based international economic system based on market principles. On November 11, Trump will travel to Hanoi, where he's going to have an official visit and bilateral engagements with President Tran Dai Quang and other senior Vietnamese leaders. President Trump will arrive in Manila in the Philippines on November 12, to participate in special gala celebration dinner for the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The next day on November 13, the president will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the US-ASEAN relations at the US-ASEAN Summit and will participate in bilateral meetings with President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines. "The president's participation in ASEAN events will advance US leadership, promoting Indo-Pacific trade and security architecture that's based on freedom and openness and adherence to the rule of law," the official said.

Trump to promote free and open Indo-Pacific region during Asia trip: White House

<p>US President Donald Trump, known for his prolific and sometimes incendiary tweeting, defended his use of the social media platform in an interview aired Sunday, saying without it he might not be president.</p>

<p>&quot;I have friends that say &#39;Oh, don&rsquo;t use social media,&quot; the Republican leader - who boasts 40.9 million Twitter followers and tweets everything from policy announcements to personal attacks to threats against foreign nations - told the Fox News program Sunday Morning Futures.</p>

<p>&quot;But I doubt I would be here if it weren&#39;t for social media, to be honest with you.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;Tweeting is like a typewriter,&quot; he said. &quot;When I put it out, you put it immediately on your show.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;I mean, the other day I put something out. Two seconds later I`m watching your show - it is up.&quot;</p>

<p>Leaders from across the political spectrum have repeatedly urged Trump to rein in his frequent and controversial tweeting, which sometimes contains factual inaccuracies and has provoked ire among adversaries and allies on both the domestic and international levels.</p>

<p>On Thursday, former secretary of state John Kerry slammed the president&#39;s Twitter use for creating a destructive atmosphere of &quot;chaos politics.&quot;</p>

<p>But Trump emphasised that by using Twitter, as well as the platforms Facebook and Instagram, he can bypass media outlets that he says treat him &quot;unfairly.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;When somebody says something about me, I&rsquo;m able to take care of it,&quot; he said. &quot;The other way I wouldn`t be able to get the word out.&quot;</p>

<p>The president also gave himself a pat on the back for the art of his posts, which often contain grammatical errors, spelling mistakes and misused punctuation.</p>

<p>&quot;They&rsquo;re well-crafted,&quot; he said of his tweets. &quot;I was always a good student.&quot;</p>


"Tweeting is like a typewriter," he said. "When I put it out, you put it immediately on your show."

US President Donald Trump, known for his prolific and sometimes incendiary tweeting, defended his use of the social media platform in an interview aired Sunday, saying without it he might not be president. "I have friends that say 'Oh, don’t use social media," the Republican leader - who boasts 40.9 million Twitter followers and tweets everything from policy announcements to personal attacks to threats against foreign nations - told the Fox News program Sunday Morning Futures. "But I doubt I would be here if it weren't for social media, to be honest with you." "Tweeting is like a typewriter," he said. "When I put it out, you put it immediately on your show." "I mean, the other day I put something out. Two seconds later I`m watching your show - it is up." Leaders from across the political spectrum have repeatedly urged Trump to rein in his frequent and controversial tweeting, which sometimes contains factual inaccuracies and has provoked ire among adversaries and allies on both the domestic and international levels. On Thursday, former secretary of state John Kerry slammed the president's Twitter use for creating a destructive atmosphere of "chaos politics." But Trump emphasised that by using Twitter, as well as the platforms Facebook and Instagram, he can bypass media outlets that he says treat him "unfairly." "When somebody says something about me, I’m able to take care of it," he said. "The other way I wouldn`t be able to get the word out." The president also gave himself a pat on the back for the art of his posts, which often contain grammatical errors, spelling mistakes and misused punctuation. "They’re well-crafted," he said of his tweets. "I was always a good student."

Donald Trump touts Twitter use as key to White House win

<p>US&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-says-he-brilliantly-used-us-tax-laws-to-his-advantage-7085" target="_blank">President Donald Trump</a> urged House Republicans to move swiftly on passing a budget bill during a conference call, clearing the way for what he described as historic tax cuts.</p>

<p>Trump and Vice President Mike Pence both joined the House GOP call on Sunday in which Trump called on members to adopt the budget passed by the Senate this week so that they can move on to passing his tax reform plan.</p>

<p>Trump told the members they were on the verge of doing something historic, according to one Republican official, who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss publicly what was intended as a private update for members.</p>

<p>Another GOP aide familiar with the conversation said that Trump told the members again and again that the party would have a steep price to pay in next year&#39;s midterm elections if they failed to pass his plan, which would slash the corporate tax rate to 20 per cent and double the standard deduction used by most average Americans. The president also said multiple times that, beyond the looming elections, his plan was the right thing to do for the country, the person said.</p>

<p>The Senate last week passed a budget that includes rules that will allow Republicans to get tax legislation through the Senate without Democratic votes and without fear of a Democratic filibuster. The House had passed a different budget, but House Republicans signalled Friday they would simply accept the Senate plan to avoid any potential delay on the tax measure.</p>

<p>Republicans are desperate to rack up a legislative win after a series of embarrassing failures that have come despite the fact that the party controls both chambers of Congress and the White House. At the top of the list: their stalled attempts to pass legislation repealing and replacing &quot;Obamacare.&quot; If tax reform doesn&#39;t pass, many in the party fear an all-out revolt in 2018.</p>

<p>On the call, House Speaker Paul Ryan told members he hoped to pass a revised Senate budget bill this week to increase the chances that tax reform can be enacted by the end of the year.</p>

<p>The leaders emphasised the need for the House to pass the Senate budget to avoid negotiations between the two chambers that could slow the process, said two lawmakers on the call, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. They said the goal is for House passage of the budget this week, putting the House on track to approve a tax bill by Thanksgiving.</p>

<p>White House budget director Mick Mulvaney, had told Fox News earlier yesterday that the House was working &quot;very quickly to accept the Senate amendments,&quot; and said the plan &quot;may save as many as 10 or 12 legislative days, which is a big deal.&quot;</p>

<p>Trump, who spent much of the weekend at his gold course in Virginia, will also work to rally support for the plan on the Hill Tuesday at a lunch with Senate Republicans. But as the focus turns to taxes, Congress continues to struggle with health care legislation.</p>


Trump told the members again and again that the party would have a steep price to pay in next year's mid-term elections if they failed to pass his plan, which would slash the corporate tax rate to 20 per cent and double the standard deduction used by most average Americans

US President Donald Trump urged House Republicans to move swiftly on passing a budget bill during a conference call, clearing the way for what he described as historic tax cuts. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence both joined the House GOP call on Sunday in which Trump called on members to adopt the budget passed by the Senate this week so that they can move on to passing his tax reform plan. Trump told the members they were on the verge of doing something historic, according to one Republican official, who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss publicly what was intended as a private update for members. Another GOP aide familiar with the conversation said that Trump told the members again and again that the party would have a steep price to pay in next year's midterm elections if they failed to pass his plan, which would slash the corporate tax rate to 20 per cent and double the standard deduction used by most average Americans. The president also said multiple times that, beyond the looming elections, his plan was the right thing to do for the country, the person said. The Senate last week passed a budget that includes rules that will allow Republicans to get tax legislation through the Senate without Democratic votes and without fear of a Democratic filibuster. The House had passed a different budget, but House Republicans signalled Friday they would simply accept the Senate plan to avoid any potential delay on the tax measure. Republicans are desperate to rack up a legislative win after a series of embarrassing failures that have come despite the fact that the party controls both chambers of Congress and the White House. At the top of the list: their stalled attempts to pass legislation repealing and replacing "Obamacare." If tax reform doesn't pass, many in the party fear an all-out revolt in 2018. On the call, House Speaker Paul Ryan told members he hoped to pass a revised Senate budget bill this week to increase the chances that tax reform can be enacted by the end of the year. The leaders emphasised the need for the House to pass the Senate budget to avoid negotiations between the two chambers that could slow the process, said two lawmakers on the call, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. They said the goal is for House passage of the budget this week, putting the House on track to approve a tax bill by Thanksgiving. White House budget director Mick Mulvaney, had told Fox News earlier yesterday that the House was working "very quickly to accept the Senate amendments," and said the plan "may save as many as 10 or 12 legislative days, which is a big deal." Trump, who spent much of the weekend at his gold course in Virginia, will also work to rally support for the plan on the Hill Tuesday at a lunch with Senate Republicans. But as the focus turns to taxes, Congress continues to struggle with health care legislation.

Trump urges House GOP to move quickly on budget, tax cuts

<p>Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to work together to raise pressure on North Korea, Yasutoshi Nishimura, a deputy chief cabinet secretary, said on Monday.</p>

<p>Abe and Trump spoke by telephone after the Japanese premier&#39;s ruling coalition scored a big win in an election on Sunday.</p>

<p>Nishimura told reporters that Abe and Trump were planning to play golf together on Nov. 5, when Trump makes his first visit to Japan.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Abe and Trump spoke by telephone after the Japanese premier's ruling coalition scored a big win in an election on Sunday.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to work together to raise pressure on North Korea, Yasutoshi Nishimura, a deputy chief cabinet secretary, said on Monday. Abe and Trump spoke by telephone after the Japanese premier's ruling coalition scored a big win in an election on Sunday. Nishimura told reporters that Abe and Trump were planning to play golf together on Nov. 5, when Trump makes his first visit to Japan.

Abe, Trump agree to raise pressure on North Korea: Japan government

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